Rattihalli, Jul 3: The forest department on Sunday arrested 30 persons in Rattihalli village of Hirekerur taluk on the charge of felling as many as 4,200 trees in reserved forest and cultivating the forest land.
Deputy Conservator of Forests Sonal Vrishni said that the farmers had illegally cut honge, sandalwood and other trees grown on 25 hectares of Kamalapura reserved forest. Further, they have destroyed the forest by setting it on fire.
The forest officials detained 82 persons in this connection, but finally arrested 30. The remaining 52 were released after obtaining an undertaking from them, the DCF said.
The farmers said that they had been cultivating the said forest land since 1990 and the forest department had evicted them in 2006. Later, the land was entrusted to village forest committee. The farmers had been submitting applications for regularisation of their cultivation and issue of title deeds. Following refusal from the officials, the disappointed farmers cultivated around three acres on Sunday. They said that they could have destroyed about 100 trees.
Forest range officer B C Arishinada said that attempts were made to fell trees two days ago, but the officials had convinced the farmers.
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