Speed Post News Network
Bokaro. Bokaro steel plant administration has agreed to return 463 acre of land to forest departmentspread over six villages in its periphery which it had acquired five decades back to carry afforestation drive but failed in its mission and a major portion of the land has been encoached by several persons who have even built residential units at these six villages. Thes villages are located in 20 square kilometre radius of Bokaro steel city.
The land, which the Bokaro Steel Plant has agreed to return to forest department of Jharkhand government include 95.65 acre at Tetuliya Mauja, 155.78 acre at Satanpur Mauja, 32.84 acre in Tantri Mauja, 117.82 acre in Khuntri Mauja, 17.92 acre in Dumarjor Mauja, and 43 acre in Kenduadih Mauja.
The proposal was discussed by forest department officials headed by Bokaro divisional forest officer P R Naidu with Bokaro steel plant officials represented by senior managers, who agreed to hand over the entire 463 acre by the end of this month. Highly placed sources in forest department revealed that Boakro DFO has asked Bokaro steel to send copies of proposal to Jharkhand forest secretary Sukhdeo Singh and a copy to chief conservative of forest also so that everything comes on paper.
Sources in BSL informed that of the 463 acre that Bokaro steel plant wants to return more than 200 acre have been encroached by influential persons including politicians, labor union leaders and even some senior bureaucrats who did not allow Bokaro steel to carry ot its afforestation drive. Bokaro DFO P R Naidu said that two rounds of meetings with BSL officials in this concern have taken places after which a formal letter has come to his department requesting the forest department to take tover above mentioned land on Wednesday.
“Our officials will be carrying out formal survey of land, which will start soon and Bokaro steel plant will give us all the documents of the land which it acquired for carrying afforestation and planting of fruit bearing trees and other plants. Once we get the land, we will remove all encroachments by taking help from the district administration,” he said.
Proper notification will be issued in this regard and then anti- encroachment drive will be carried out in all these villages, the DFO said adding a massive eviction drive will be carried out to evict all encoachers.