Karnataka: Special team to deal with recovery of forest land given on lease
Bengaluru: Several companies who have taken hundreds of forest lands on long-term lease before Independence in Karnataka owe about Rs 2,000 crore with interest and a committee will be constituted under the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (APCCF) to reclaim leased lands that have expired their lease period, said Minister for Forests and Environment Eshwar Khandre.
Earlier, the lease amount fixed for an acre of forest land to grow spices, coffee, tea, and rubber was Rs 2 to Rs 7. The lease amount was revised in 1997 and then Rs 5,000 was fixed for a hectare of leased forest land to renew their lease period, said the Minister at a press conference in Bengaluru.
The matter of non-payment of lease amount came to his notice during a study and he held a meeting to recover non-payment of lease amount and also reclaim expired lease lands from the Companies, said the Minister.
Giving details on companies having to pay lease amount, the Minister said Mercara Rubber Company in Kodagu had taken forest land on lease and the Company has to pay Rs 454 crore while Thomas Rubber India Limited has taken 625 acres and till 2015 the Company has to pay Rs 91. 29 crores.
Continuing, Khandre said, that Nilambur Rubber Company Limited has taken 713 acres and has to pay Rs 130 crore, Fort Land Rubber Estate has taken 1288 acres and has to pay about Rs 536 crore, Thomson Rubber has pledged the leased land in a Bank, and the Bank to recover the loan has auctioned it, among other cases of lease non-payment.
Khandre said after notices were made to Companies over non-payment of lease amount, they moved the Court to a special team will be constituted to deal with non-payment of lease amount cases in a year including penalties from them.
