The State Government in Hyderabad is ordering a probe into the illegal occupation of forest land following a Supreme Court order. The land parcel, which is over 106 acres, is located on the outskirts of Bhupalpally town. It is suspected that a former District Collector and a senior BRS leader were involved in the illegal occupation of the land, which is worth crores of rupees.
The scam allegedly took place during the previous government’s Haritha Haram initiative, aimed at increasing forest cover. Realtors were permitted to encroach upon the forest lands, despite objections from the Forest Department. The total cost of the encroached land is estimated to be around Rs 380 crore.
The Supreme Court got involved when doubts were raised about the ownership of the forest lands. A private individual claimed ownership of 106 acres of land in the reserve forest under Kompally village of Bhupalpally district. Despite previous court judgments in favor of the Forest department, various legal challenges were made during the BRS regime.
The Supreme Court questioned conflicting affidavits submitted by government departments and asked for an explanation from the Chief Secretary. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy took special interest in the matter and ensured that the encroached land was recognized as belonging to the Reserve Forest.
The Supreme Court directed the state government to take action against officials who supported private individuals in the case. It also allowed for an investigation into officials who collaborated with the encroachers and imposed penalties on them. The government plans to take action against the collector, forest officials, and BRS leaders involved in the illegal occupation of the forest land.
