The Machohalli reserve forest, spread over 145 acres in west Bengaluru.
Highlights
- Siddaramaiah ordered that 96.3 acres be given to backward castes
- 27 organisations asked to build schools and other facilities on it
- Locals want the land to be converted into a public garden
A 100-acre forest area in the bustling IT city of Bengaluru is in the middle of a controversy. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has ordered that 96.3 acres of it be given to 27 different organisations of backward castes to build bhavans, hostels, educational institutions and other facilities. But local residents and activists are up in arms, demanding that the open space be converted into a pristine lung space on the lines of Cubbon Park or Lalbagh.
The Machohalli reserve forest, spread over 145 acres in west Bengaluru, has been reduced to around 100 acres due to encroachments. And the land in question falls in the TG Halli reservoir catchment area - a water source that the government wants to revive.
"Only in 2008-09 they said this belongs to Revenue Department. Before that, it was forest land. So the government should not give it to any organisation and leave it as forest. Else the government will be responsible for the consequences of people's protest," said Lakshmanaiah, a resident.
Others have hit out at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, accusing him of trying to appease backward castes at the cost of city's environment.
"See how the Chief Minister is being biased about caste. This is vote bank politics. We don't object to the allotment of land to these organisations, they can allot wherever barren land is available," said advocate Amruthesh N P.
The controversy has been a fallout of the ambiguity over the ownership of the land. While the Forest department claims it owned the land since the British era and never transferred it, the Revenue Department claims the land was transferred in 1964. The forest department plans to carry out extensive planting drive in the land, but the latest development has come as a jolt.
"If it is forest land it can't be given to anyone. If it is a revenue land we can't object. That has to be decided first. I will look into the matter," said Forest Minister Ramanath Rai.