Bengaluru - Karnataka's Environment and Forest Minister, Eshwar Khandre, revealed to the legislative council on Monday that out of the 16,988 acres of forest land in Bengaluru Urban district, 2,871.37 acres are encroached upon. The minister provided this information in a written response, stating that the encroachments are spread across 1,051 cases.

Specifically, within the Bannerghatta National Park division, 587.15 acres of the forest area are encroached in 347 cases out of the total 2,871.37 acres. In Bengaluru South, 1,277.33 acres of forest land face encroachment in 283 cases, while Bengaluru East has 570 acres encroached in 250 cases. Yelahanka reports 20 cases of encroachment, affecting 59 acres of forest land. Similarly, Bengaluru North has 45.01 acres of encroached land across 65 cases.

Legal action has been initiated against the encroachers under the Karnataka Forest Act, 1963. Investigations are ongoing, and measures are being taken to clear the encroachments under Section 64 (A) of the Act.

The Bannerghatta Nature Conservation Trust, an NGO, recently urged the Karnataka Forest Department to take action against encroachers in Bannerghatta National Park.

Minister Khandre emphasized the seriousness with which he is addressing the issue of forest encroachment, noting the commitment of the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government to remove encroachments. Since assuming the role of the forest minister, he has prioritized addressing cases of forest land encroachment.