602.54 acres is a habitat for wild animals; also serves as grazing land for livestock

Mysore/Mysuru: In another conservation move, the Karnataka Forest Department has proposed to declare 602.54 acres of Malleshwara Gudda in H.D. Kote taluk as a Reserved Forest Area and has invited objections, if any, regarding this proposal.

This follows a similar decision to declare 216.23 acres of the Lingambudhi Lake Plantation area in Dattagalli, on the outskirts of Mysuru, as a Reserved Forest Area.

The process to declare various blocks under the Regional Forest attached to Malleshwara Gudda as a Reserve Forest has been launched. As a precursor, various blocks in Hampapura and Jayapura Hoblis in H.D. Kote taluk were declared forest areas under Section 6 of the Karnataka Forest Act.

Now, it is proposed to include 243.84 hectares (602.54 acres) of forest area under Survey Numbers 173 of Maddur, 3 and 3A of Chamalapura and 189 and 200 of Hosamala, under Section 5 of the Karnataka Forest Act. To handle objections, if any, a Forest Managerial Officer has been appointed by the Government.

Individuals with objections can submit relevant claims over the land along with supporting documents at the Office of the Forest Managerial Officer, Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL) Compound, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Main Road, behind the National Institute of Engineering (NIE) College, Ashokapuram, Mysuru-570008, either by post or in person by Aug. 22, 2024.

A wildlife habitat

The proposed forest area, coming under the Mysuru Regional Division of the Forest Department, serves as grazing land for the livestock of surrounding villages. It is also a habitat for wild animals, including deer, leopards, wild boars, rabbits, peacocks, civet cats and other wildlife.

The process to declare this area as a Reserve Forest will be conducted in two stages. First, the proposed forest area will be brought under Section 5. It will then be officially declared a Reserve Forest after being included under Section 17.

Once the forest area under the current Regional Division is declared a Reserve Forest, stringent measures will be taken to protect forest resources. The cultivation of tree saplings will be undertaken on a large scale over the next 5 to 10 years. This will help increase humidity in the surrounding villages, address the scarcity of rainfall and improve the underground water table, facilitating agricultural activities.