Taluka-level teams to identify reserved forest land under Revenue Dept and examine non-forestry use cases
PANAJI
The State government has set up Special Investigation Teams (SITs) at the taluka level to identify and prepare an inventory of reserved forest land currently under the Revenue Department and investigate whether any such land was allotted to private individuals or institutions for non-forestry purposes.
SC order prompts action
The move follows directions from the Supreme Court to all States and Union Territories to examine cases where reserved forest land may have been diverted for non-forest use and take corrective action within one year.
According to a notification issued by the Revenue Department, each SIT will be headed by the Deputy Collector of the respective taluka. Members will include the Assistant Conservator of Forests, a representative from the Directorate of Settlement and Land Records (DSLR), the concerned Talathi and any additional members appointed by the team leader if required.
The department said a preliminary exercise carried out jointly by the Collectors and the Forest Department has already identified some cases for further action.
Land inventory to be prepared
The SITs will examine whether reserved forest land under the Revenue Department was allotted to private individuals or institutions for purposes other than forestry. They will also prepare a detailed inventory of such land, including its extent, location and present status. “The SITs will recommend and initiate action to reclaim such land and transfer it to the Forest Department. In cases where taking back possession is not feasible in larger public interest, the teams will assess and recommend recovery of the land cost from the concerned individuals or institutions. The amount recovered will be used for forest development,” the notification stated.
Reports through Collectors
The teams have also been asked to identify reserved forest land that still appears in Revenue records under the name of the Revenue Department and submit detailed reports to the government through the concerned Collectors. The exercise will be jointly monitored by the District Collectors and Deputy Conservators of Forests (DCF).
Court seeks recovery of land
The directions are based on a Supreme Court order issued last year, which asked all States and Union Territories to form SITs to examine whether reserved forest land held by Revenue Departments had been allotted for non-forestry purposes.
The apex court also directed governments to either reclaim such land and transfer it to the Forest Department or, where repossession is not possible in larger public interest, recover the land cost and use the funds for forest development.
