Telangana: Forest dept puts army on notice for 'squatting' on its land

HYDERABAD: Army authorities and the Telangana forest department have locked horns over the possession of 285 acres of Chilkur forest land near Outer Ring Road on the city outskirts. The Telangana forest department has served a series of notices on Defence Estates Officer of AP Circle (copies of which are available with TOI) stating that the Chilkur forest block is under "unauthorised occupation by the Indian military" and asked it to give up the forest land.
The land was handed over to the army for expansion of 'safety zone area' for the rifle range at Golconda on November 8, 1970.

Principal chief conservator of forests P K Jha had written recently to Telangana government regarding non-compliance of provisions of Forest Conservation Act by the military authorities.
The Telangana forest department, in the communication to the principal secretary (environment and forests), narrated the chronology of lease and subsequent fallout. In 1968, the Military Estates Officer of Secunderabad had requested the state government to lease the forest land at Chilkur for expansion of the artillery centre. After two years, in 1970, the then AP government accorded permission for allotment of forest land of 285 acres and 14 guntas for 27 years and directed the Hyderabad chief conservator of forests to hand over the area to military immediately pending finalisation of the terms and conditions.