Revenue min restores 1,100-acre national park land to forest department

The dispute pertained to around 1,053 acres of land that was in the possession of the forest department after being acquired in 1975 under the Maharashtra Private Forests (Acquisition) Act

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government has decided to restore to the forest department the ownership of nearly 1,100 acres of land belonging to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) in Thane. State revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, who was hearing the matter as a quasi-judicial authority, announced the final order on Thursday, saying that this brought to an end the ownership claims made by private individuals on the land.

Revenue min restores 1,100-acre national park land to forest department

The dispute pertained to around 1,053 acres of land that was in the possession of the forest department after being acquired in 1975 under the Maharashtra Private Forests (Acquisition) Act. A certain Kapil Sharma and others had approached the Maharashtra Revenue Tribunal (MRT), claiming ownership of the land. The tribunal ruled in their favour, following which the matter came in appeal before Bawankule, who initially upheld the tribunal’s decision.

The state forest department then urged the revenue minister to give it a chance to present its case but Sharma approached the high court, urging it to uphold the MRT order. On July 31, Bawankule issued an administrative order, keeping the transfer of the land in abeyance and granted the forest department an opportunity to be heard.

Following the hearing, the revenue minister passed a final quasi-judicial order on Wednesday restoring the ownership of the land to the state forest department. “Consequently, all quasi-judicial claims made by private individuals over the 1,100 acres of land forming part of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park stand resolved,” Bawankule announced.

“The hearing of the land dispute in Thane was before me. Initially, the forest department was also not a respondent in the case, raising the question of who the lawful owner of the land was,” he remarked. “The government never intended to transfer government land to private individuals. This is an important order that safeguards public land and protects forest property.”