Cabinet decides to withdraw interim application filed before Supreme Court to denotify 443 acres given to HMT

H.K. Patil
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The Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday decided to withdraw an interim application (IA) filed before the Supreme Court to denotify 443 acres given to Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) in Bengaluru. The value of the land is estimated at ₹14,300 crore in the market.

The State government in 2020 filed the IA before the apex court for denotifying 443 acres stating that the land had lost the characteristics of forest.

Back in 2015

Briefing presspersons of the decisions taken at the Cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil said a high-level meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary on July 15, 2015, clearly stated that “the Additional Chief Secretary, Forest, Environment and Ecology Department, has been directed to submit a proposal for the denotification of such forest areas for the Cabinet decision after obtaining the opinion of the Advocate General on the sanctions of areas made to various/government institutions prior to 1980.”

However, in 2020, Forest Department officials “misled” the then Chief Minister and the then Forest Minister and filed the IA before the Supreme Court for denotification of the land.

Current Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre explained to the Cabinet the necessity of withdrawing the IA to reclaim the forestland. The Cabinet ratified the Minister’s decision.

The State government granted 599 acres to HMT in the Peenya-Jalahalli plantation survey nos. 1 and 2, which had been declared as a reserve forest under Section 9 of the Forest Rules, 1878.

Though the land was declared as forest on June 11, 1886, in Mysore State, HMT sold the land illegally to many government departments, institutions, and private parties.

Mr. Patil said HMT had sold close to 160 acres for government offices and private firms and for the construction of other buildings. HMT has sold land to ISRO, Raman Research Institute, Doordarshan Kendra, banks, Income Tax Department, DRDO, Central Water Commission, and private firms, said a note from Mr. Khandre’s office.

A couple of months ago, Mr. Khandre directed officials to take steps for the withdrawal of the IA filed before the Supreme Court since it was filed without obtaining the Cabinet’s approval.

Political slugfest

Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy and Mr. Khandre have been at a political slugfest over the land belonging to HMT in Bengaluru.

Mr. Khandre has been saying that the State government would move to reclaim HMT land as it was forestland that was ‘illegally transferred’ to HMT in the 1960s. Mr. Kumaraswamy has accused the State government of doing “politics of vendetta” after he announced a plan to revive HMT.