NGT notice to state, Centre over violations by ex-Madikeri DCF

Bengaluru: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued notice to the state and central authorities over the violation of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, in Madikeri by officials who had allowed felling of 800 trees in bane land, a statutory forest, in 2018-19.

The principal bench, comprising chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert-member A Senthil Vel, registered a suo motu case based on a DH report on the imposition of penalty on the then deputy conservator of forest for the violation.

The state government ordered that M L Manjunath, the then DCF of Madikeri division who has since retired, shall pay a penalty in the form of 5 per cent deduction of his pension for two years.

"The news item states that the action taken by the authorities does not indicate afforestation measures if the sand land (forest) has been encroached upon and further action taken. The above matter indicates violation of the provisions of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, and Environment Protection Act, 1986," the bench said.

The tribunal ordered notice to head of the Forest Department, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Kodagu deputy commissioner and sought a reply by November 4. The case has been transferred to the southern zone bench in Chennai.