Mysore/Mysuru: Mysuru Deputy Commissioner (DC) G. Lakshmikanth Reddy has directed officials to expedite the joint survey of deemed forests across the district and submit the report at the earliest.

Chairing the Deemed Forest Committee meeting on Monday at the DC Office auditorium in Siddharthanagar, he reviewed taluk-wise data presented by Forest officials and instructed them to carry out joint surveys and inspections with the Revenue Department without delay.

The reports must be submitted promptly to the taluk-level and district-level committees, he said.

Stressing the need to safeguard forested areas, the DC noted that challenges such as climate change will intensify in the coming years, making the protection of forests and deemed forests indispensable. He urged officials to conduct surveys thoroughly and finalise the report quickly.

3,812 hectares identified

In Mysuru Regional Forest Division, covering Mysuru City, Mysuru Taluk, T. Narasipur, Nanjangud, H.D. Kote and Saragur,  a total of 3,812 hectares of deemed forest has been identified.

A joint survey is currently underway across various forest ranges, carried out by teams from the Forest, Revenue and other departments. Once the survey is completed, the taluk-level joint inspection committees will scrutinise the findings and submit their reports.

These reports will then be forwarded to the district-level committee, headed by the DC, which will send the final deemed forest report to the State Committee.

After State-level review, the report will be submitted to Supreme Court (SC). The Apex Court’s directions will determine what activities may be permitted within the identified deemed forest areas.

What qualifies as a deemed forest?

Any government land above 2 hectares with over 50 naturally grown trees (each with a girth of 30 cm at chest height) is classified as deemed forest. Private land above 5 hectares with naturally grown trees is classified as a private deemed forest. However, private plantations are not included.

Once the SC designates an area as deemed forest, no construction — buildings or other structures — will be allowed. Tree planting and forest regeneration activities will be encouraged to boost ecological balance.

The meeting was attended by Mysuru Regional Division DCF K. Paramesh, Hunsur Division DCF Mohammed Fayazuddin, Antharasante ACF Madhu and RFOs from multiple forest ranges.