Bokaro Steel Plant to return 463 acre to Jharkhand forest deptt

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.