The Jindal Steel Works Ballari (JSW) is in the process of purchasing the 878.1 acres of land within the area of Bhimagad Wildlife Sanctuary under the compensatory forest policy for its mining activities in Ballari district. Sources in the forest department have now confirmed that it is been done in accordance with the compensatory forest policy.
The 878.1 acres of land coming under survey number of 71 and 72 of Gavali village, Khanapur Taluka mainly consisting of grass land and had high volume tiger movement was not declared as deemed forest by the forest department.
The revenue land purchased by JSW steel will be handed over to forest department under this policy and it would become part of the national park or wildlife sanctuary.
It is very likely that in coming days more mining companies may come forward to purchase revenue land which is situated in wildlife sanctuary here as well as across the country. Once the revenue land company completes the sale deed procedure, villagers will have to relocate themselves from the core area of sanctuary as no human habitation is allowed within the core area.
There are about 86 revenue land owners who will have the tittle to the land and will have to execute a sale deed and transfer the rights to JSW. The best part of this as environmentalists say is that removal of revenue patches from the core areas of the sanctuary will make it more safer place for the animals. With the revenue lands going and it will be deemed to be forest land under the compensatory forest policy, human intervention in natural habitat of the wild animals will be drastically reduced. It will also have to been seen how and where the land owners will be relocated.
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