Kota News Desk: In Kota state, the forest falling within the urban area is being sold. Land mafia is illegally occupying forest department land and setting up illegal colonies and earning huge income. In every district of the state, hundreds of bighas of forest department land are under illegal occupation. Investigation revealed that permanent houses were built on hundreds of bighas of forest land in the state and many hotels and resorts were built. Even the ponds in the forest land have been suffocated by the land mafia.
Colonies cut down on forest land in Kota
An illegal colony has been cut in the pond itself in Anantpura area of Kota. The land mafia is illegally cutting colonies on the forest land adjacent to Barada Basti on Jhalawar Road, one km away from National Highway 52. The land mafia has built a boundary wall of stones and is making money by selling the plot. On Sunday, the team reached Crusher Basti area on information about illegal colonies being cut on government lands. Here grocery shops and E-Mitra centers have become the main places for selling illegal lands. Influential and political people have also taken illegal possession of the area. The farm house of Congress leader Amin Pathan on government land was demolished recently. The land mafia in Kota has swallowed 678 hectares of forest. 85 cases of encroachment on forest department land have been registered in Kota district. The department is monitoring. Cases have also been registered against the encroachers. Most of the encroachments have been going on for a long time. Still we will direct the concerned authorities to remove the encroachment.
RK Khairwa, Divisional Chief Conservator of Forests
Sawai Madhopur 180 encroachment cases
Ranthambore Sanctuary in the district is spread over an area of 1734 square km. In this, cases of illegal occupation and encroachment of more than 250 hectares of land and encroachment at more than 180 places have come to light.
Jodhpur captures 250 hectares of forest
There are more than 20 thousand 600 hectares of forest area in the district, out of which 250 hectares of land has been captured by land mafias.
Jhalawar: 1281 encroachers marked
There is a total forest area of 118600 hectares in the district, out of which 553.43 hectares have been encroached upon by 1281 different people.
Baran: 20 percent forest lost
There is 2.18 lakh hectares of forest area in the district, out of which 40 thousand hectares have been encroached upon and illegally occupied.
Jhunjhunu – Lots of encroachment
Forest is spread over 40535.62 hectares in the district, so far about 40 hectares of forest has been destroyed.
