BANGALORE: The state forest department has decided to acquire 25,000 acres of revenue and private land in Hassan district to increase forest cover near Sakleshpur and Alur areas. This is the first time in the country that a government is purchasing land to develop forest area.Informing this to the media here on Tuesday, Forest Minister C P Yogeshwar said that the department had already identified the revenue land and negotiations were on with different departments to take possession of it.As far as private land is concerned, the deputy commissioner of Hassan has been asked to hold talks with farmers to purchase their lands.“We have decided to purchase around 2,500 acres of private land. We will purchase it only from those who are willing to part with their lands,” he added.Yogeshwar said that the Union ministry of forest and environment had given permission to the state government to relocate 25 wild elephants from Alur and Sakleshpur area and the relocation process will start by mid-December.“It is a much needed relief for the people of Alur,” the minister said while declining to part with details on where these elephants would be shifted.However, he said that the Madhya Pradesh government had evinced interest to take 9 elephants from the state.BANDIPUR NIGHT TRAFFIC BAN EXTENSIONThe forest department is all set to extend the ban on night traffic on the two national highways passing through the Bandipur tiger reserve by three hours.At present there is a ban on vehicular traffic from 9 pm to 6 am and the government wants the ban to be in place from 6 pm itself.The decision was taken as the death of wild animals in vehicular accidents continuing despite the ban, said Yogeshwar. "The government has already issued notices to the local people to file objections.The new schedule will be in place once the pubic hearing is over," he added.The ban on night traffic on the 13 km stretch of NH 212 and 20 km of NH 67 passing through the Bandipur tiger reserve was in place from the last one-and-half years.
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