C’magaluru forest officer fighting against land-grab shunted out

BENGALURU: In the background of a raging controversy on Masgali Reserve Forest encroachments and the government dilly-dallying on the issue of illegal revenue grants, Chikkamagaluru Deputy Conservator of Forests, A Chandranna, has been shunted out with immediate effect.He has been transferred to Shivamogga as Executive Director of Karnataka Forest Development Corporation.

Two major environmental issues that he had been fighting for — the Masgali Reserve Forest’s illegal revenue grants of 1,002 acres and the renewal for ‘wood chipping’ for a big MDF (medium density fibre) board unit in Chikkamagaluru — proved to be his nemesis.Speaking to Express, state Forest Minister Ramanath Rai claimed he had no knowledge of Chandranna’s transfer. He added, “This is news to me. Since he is a district forest officer, the CM’s office would have done it. Anyhow, it comes under the purview of DPAR.”

Criticising the officer’s transfer, wildlife activists from the district said, “This way, no officer will be able to work for forest protection, and in fact, it affects the morale of committed and honest forest officers. In the last one year, the officer had surveyed and identified the illegal revenue grants in Masgali which had not been done for the past 18 years. The officer had also put this on record and sent a detailed report on revenue grants between 1944 and 2008 and clearly said they had no legal standing. However, the government misled the apex court and claimed they were legal.”   

D V Girish of Bhadra Wildlife Conservation Trust said, “The inquiry, his clear-cut stand on revenue grants, followed by immense pressure from the land mafia have led to his transfer. At the rate of `10 lakh per acre, the loss to such people is `100 crore for 1,002 acres.  Another issue is — a big MDF board unit has been trying to get permission to run operations, which the officer had stalled. This company, claiming to use wood waste, was, in fact, using wood from local timber species. If allowed to operate, they will consume 6,000 hectares of plantations in the Western Ghats.”

I’ve recovered hundreds of acres: DCF

DCF Chandranna said, “I have done my duty as per law.I have managed to save major damage to forests, recovered hundreds of acres. In the last one year, I had to race against time as we had to meet the SC deadline on Masgali encroachments.”