Gariyaband: The officials at the Udanti Sita River Sanctuary have again been able to remove encroachers from forest land that they had taken over. They have conducted the eviction operation in the Gona Beat of the Tairenga Range this time. As per the reports, 16 encroachers had squatted over an area of 21.48 hectares of the forest area and had fallen approximately 8000 trees. These people had, through subletting, given out the land to other growers for agricultural purposes such as the growing of rice and maize.
These people have been in possession of this piece of land for the last 12 consecutive years; holding and seizing control from the authorities so as to regain it back was a real hustle. However, the administration of the sanctuary managed to carry out the eviction with the help of the forest department from Dhamtari district. Besides the eviction of the encroachers, the forest department ensures that no other people would trespass in the said area again.
However, the departments that had previously operated from this area undertook some appreciable efforts recently, such as digging water harvesting pits in the space left barren after the removal of this lot. This action would go a long way in regaining the lost balance with the natural environment and in future afforestation exercises.. Further, well over 600 trees were planted with the intention of reclaiming the land with the forest, meaning that squatters stand to be locked out from taking over the same all over again.
This eviction is the sanctuary’s continuous process to preserve the forest ecosystem and to retake the invaded area. Large-scale felling of thousands of trees not only affected the land but endangered the bio-diversity of the particular territory in question. Through the recent exercise of ejecting the squatters and embarking on a rehabilitation process of the land, the sanctuary management is asserting its determination to protect the forest and avoid the repeat of the same fate by ensuring that no one will be allowed to convert natural forest into other uses in the future.
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