Sun Oct 26 08:42:25 UTC 2025: ## Summary of Text:
Forest Department officials in Chikkamagaluru district, Karnataka, India, have registered two cases concerning the encroachment of a total of 580 acres of forest land in the Balehonnur Range. One case involves three individuals from Kalasa accused of encroaching upon 450 acres of the Halasur Reserved Forest. The other case involves six people from Balehonnur accused of encroaching upon 130 acres of the Bannur minor forest. These encroachments were discovered during document verification and were not recent occurrences. The cases have been registered under the Karnataka Forest Act and the Forest Conservation Act.
News Article:
580 Acres of Forest Land Encroached Upon in Karnataka, Authorities Investigate
Shivamogga, October 26, 2025 – The Forest Department in Chikkamagaluru district, Karnataka, has initiated investigations into the encroachment of 580 acres of forest land in the Balehonnur Range. Two separate cases have been registered against nine individuals for unauthorized occupancy of protected forest areas.
According to officials, the first case involves S.B. Shankar, S.B. Prabhakar, and Sunitha, all residents of Kalasa, who are accused of encroaching upon 450 acres within the Halasur Reserved Forest in Kalasa taluk. The Regional Forest Officer’s complaint highlights that the encroachment pertains to land designated as forest land long ago.
The second case names Mohamed Ifthikar Adil, Mohammed Iliyas, Abdul Vahid, Adul Munaf, Abdul Gafar, and Mohammed Ibrahim from Balehonnur as suspects in the encroachment of 130 acres of the Bannur minor forest, located in N.R. Pura taluk.
E. Shivashankar, Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) of Koppa Division, stated that the encroachments were discovered during routine document verification processes. He clarified that these are not new encroachments and that the authorities are acting on historical records. The DCF further cited a previous case in the same region that helped expose the scale of encroachment.
The cases have been registered under the Karnataka Forest Act, 1963, and the Forest Conservation Act, 1980. The accused face charges including unauthorized occupancy, damage to forest land, defacing boundary marks, and utilizing forest land for non-forest purposes.
The Forest Department has assured that a thorough enquiry will be conducted, and appropriate action will be taken in accordance with the law. The investigation is ongoing.
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