Karnataka Forest Minister Khandre trespassed on HMT land, alleges Union Minister Kumaraswamy

Khandre asked officials to take disciplinary action against those who permitted felling of trees in a forest land, where a set was erected for shooting a movie.

Published on: Oct 30, 2024, 21:00:06 IST

PTIPosted by Yamini C S

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Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Wednesday alleged that the Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre trespassed on the land belonging to HMT, a central public sector enterprise, under the Ministry of Heavy Industries. Khandre on Tuesday directed officials concerned to take disciplinary action against those who permitted felling of trees in a forest land here, where a set was erected for shooting a Kannada movie 'Toxic'.

He also conducted a spot inspection of the site. “There is trespassing (by Khandre) on the HMT land. We (had earlier) filed a suit related to it (over ownership of the land) and we are waiting for the court direction. We will fight it legally but we will not raise the issue for publicity,” Kumaraswamy, the Union Steel and Heavy Industries Minister, told reporters.

In a note to Additional Chief Secretary of Department of Forest, Ecology and Environment on Tuesday, Khandre said a total of 599 acres of reserve forest in Bengaluru's Peenya plantation-1 and plantation-2 is gazetted, which was illegally handed over to HMT in the 1960s without de-notification.

“The Forest Minister visited the HMT premises yesterday, which was given to the Canara Bank way back in 2002. It was not given on lease but sold to them (Canara Bank),” Kumaraswamy, who is also the JD(S) second-in-command, said. He said he would hold a press conference in a day or two against the Forest Minister’s "attempt" to create confusion ‘unnecessarily’ in connection with the HMT land.

The Union Minister said there are encroachments on forest lands in various parts of the State, including Bengaluru. In Srinivasapura in Kolar district, a public representative has encroached on 120 acres of forest land. A court has given direction to recover 61 acres of land from him. Deadline has also been fixed but no step has been taken, Kumaraswamy alleged.

“I want to ask the Forest Minister who met the Chief Minister (Siddaramaiah), what direction did CM give you (Forest Minister) and what instruction you (Forest Minister) gave to the forest officials. Should there be different yardsticks for the poor and the Congress leaders?” Kumaraswamy sought to know.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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