'One lakh hectares of land to be dropped from deemed forest list'

Revenue Minister R Ashoka said one lakh hectares of land will be denotified from the purview of deemed forest coverage in the Udupi district.

Ashok, interacting with those suffering from the deemed forest complications in Kokkarne on Saturday, said that as revenue minister he had submitted an affidavit to the Supreme Court declaring that the problems between revenue and forest department will be sorted out among themselves.

As many as nine lakh hectares of land is under the deemed forest area. The problem will be sorted out at the earliest, he assured and added that he will speak to the chief minister also on the issue.

He said the land has to be notified as Gomala and Revenue in the RTC.

The government had made him the chairman of a committee to look into the complications regarding Kumki land, he added.

The victims shared their problems on how they were deprived of rights on the land despite tilling the land for 40 to 50 years.