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Forest land encroached by cement firm: probe

A survey carried out by Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Protection & Vigilance), R.M. Dobriyal following a compliant lodged by a farmer from Pedaveedu village, has found that the Sagar Cements Limited had encroached 163.45 acres of Reserve Forest Land in Compartment-11 of Sulthanpur Forest Block under Miryalaguda forest range in Mattampally mandal in Nalgonda district.

In his 17-page report submitted to Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Mr. Dobriyal wrote Sagar Cements had also mined the area. The report was obtained by complainant farmer, Narra Narasimha Rao, through Right to Information Act from PCCF, Hyderabad.

According to the survey report the encroachment attracts action under the provision of Forest Conservation Act of 1980 and other related Acts and rules.

The Hindu had carried a report in these columns on December 17, 2015 based on a joint survey carried out by Tehsildar, Mattapally, Forest Range Officer, Assistant Director Mines and Geology and Land Survey Records Department during November, 2015 on the same land following the directions of National SC Commission.

The SC Commission directed Collector, Nalgonda to carry out the survey after receiving a complaint lodged by another farmer, Venkateshwarlu from same village. The survey found that the Sagar Cements had encroached the land. Obtaining this report from FRO, Miryalaguda Mr. Narasing Rao approached the PCCF seeking action against the management for protection of valuable land.

The PCCF then ordered Mr. Dobriyal to take up another survey to test check the facts of all the surveys carried out. Actually, then forest staff had found the encroachments in Sulthanpur block in 2002 by Amareshwari Cements, which was later acquired by Sagar Cements, and also filed cases against the management. For the same land, then management of the firm had applied for diversion in 2003, but sought the Forest Department and Collector to conduct a survey to demarcate the exact boundary lines by dividing land leased to them and forest area.

Responding on this plea, the Conservator of Forests, Hyderabad, had instructed the DFO, Nalgonda in 2006 to carry out the survey, without taking into consideration the same land was encroached by them and also sought for diversion.

Then FRO, Tahsildar, Mines and Geology and Survey and Land Records inspected the site and declared that the land was falling outside the forest area.

The Hindu