Senior officers of the Karnataka government will hold a meeting with senior officers of the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in Delhi on Thursday with regard to the Union government’s clearance for the denotification of forest land, cultivated by families displaced by the Sharavathi Hydroelectric Project.
Ramesh Hegde, State spokesperson of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, in Shivamogga on Wednesday, informed the media that Additional Chief Secretary (Forest) Anjum Parvez, P.C. Ray, Principal Secretary, and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Brijesh Kumar Dixit, will hold a meeting with Inspector General of Forests, Ramesh Pandey.
The meeting has been arranged, following the efforts of Minister for School Education Madhu Bangarappa, who is also the Minister in charge of the Shivamogga district, according to Mr. Hegde.
Karnataka government had denotified forest land of 9,129 acres to benefit families displaced by the dam project. However, the denotification was withdrawn following a High Court verdict. The court objected that the State had not taken approval from the Union government to de-notify the forest land.
Again, the State government approached the Supreme Court with an interlocutory application. The court, on December 3, 2024, instructed both the State and the centre to settle the issue amicably by holding secretary-level talks.
“As per the directions of the Supreme Court, the secretary-level meeting will be held in Delhi on Thursday. Officers representing Shivamogga will also attend the meeting,” he added.
Published – January 15, 2025 09:16 pm IST
