Karnataka: Kappathagudda forest to regain lost status?

Bengaluru: Public pressure and environmental concerns seem to be winning over the mining lobby in the row over the Kappathagudda forests in Gadag district losing their protected area status a few months ago.  

At a meeting of the state Wildlife Advisory Board on Monday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was livid with forest officials who had recommended the removal of the protected area tag for the forests that are rich in medicinal plants. His comments came after he was briefed about the issue in detail and it was explained that the  protected area of the forests were denotified on a technicality -  a public hearing was not held as it should have been before declaring it a conservation reserve.

Also, informed about the gold mining in the area, the Chief Minister was told  it was possible to recover 2.5 gms of gold from a tonne of excavated mud.

Demanding details of the forest officials, who had in a report in 2008  recommended mining  in the area, Mr Siddaramaiah told the senior officers present , " Get the details of the officers who had made the recommendations and file criminal cases against them.''

Although he was authorized at the end of the meeting to take a call on the status of the Kappathagudda forests, the forest department was not prepared with the relevant records. Angered by this, Mr Siddaramaiah sharply pulled up the officers present.

Also, deeply regretting the death of a forest guard and the injury suffered by three others during a forest fire in the Bandipur Tiger Reserve, Mr  Siddaramaiah demanded to know how such mishaps could be allowed to take place. He also wanted to know details of the fire fighting training given to the staff.

250-strong team battle forest fire in Bandipur, 3 left injured
Over 250 people including forest department personnel and tribals succeeded in extinguishing  the forest fire, which had begun on Saturday, at Kalkere range of Bandipur Tiger reserve at the Mysuru-Chamarajnagar border, Yediyala Range ACF Mr Paramesh said.

The exact extent of loss is yet to be ascertained, over 200 hectares of forest have been destroyed, Mr Paramesh claimed.  

While the fire had claimed the life of one Deputy RFO, 28-year-old Bidar based Murugesh, three others who were injured, are being treated at Apollo hospital in Mysuru.

Chamarajnagar MP Mr R Druvanarayan, who visited the injured at Apollo hospital said, "RFO Gangadhar, and two tribals Manju and Shekar appointed by the forest department on temporary basis for the anti-poaching camp, are being treated in the hospital. They have suffered 25 to 30 percent burn injuries. They are out of danger according to doctors treating them. The government will bear the treatment expenses, we have also sought compensation for them," he said.