Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Dec 14: The government has made a provision for the people who have built their houses since the last several decades adjacent to forests to get title deeds in their names for the sites under rule 94c. But thousands of poor people are still awaiting their title deeds. Because there is no proper coordination between the forest and revenue departments.

It has been seven years since the government ordered these two departments to conduct a joint survey. Because of the non-cooperative attitude of the departments, many families are facing problems. The government had given an opportunity to the families illegally living inside the forest or the borders, and invited for applications. These families need no-objection certificates from the forest department to get right on the land. At several places, forest officials send the people back, refusing to issue no-objection certificates (NOC) by saying that there is no such provision in forest land. As many families faced problems, the then chief minister Siddaramaiah, in 2013, instructed joint surveys to be conducted by revenue and forest departments and issue NOC quickly for land, other than forest and issue title deeds to the concerned.

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Initially, the joint surveys were conducted for some time and a few families were benefitted, but the forest department it is said is not showing any inclination to be part of the joint survey. In many places wherever revenue and forest landfall under a single survey number, the forest department claims the land to be theirs, it is said. People blame the forest department for being impractical.

Forest minister Anand Singh, said that he will instruct the officials to coordinate with the revenue department for early issuance of NOC. Zilla panchayat member of Dakshina Kannada zilla panchayat, Thungappa Bangera, says that the forest department is not showing interest in the joint survey. He wants the forest department to issue NOC for those lands which do not fall within its ownership. He says that even the revenue department has not been bringing pressure in the matter, and thousands of files as a consequence, are pending.