Despite a recent survey showing that Ramanagar falls under forestland, construction company is going ahead with its plans of the movie-themed park
Despite a recent survey showing that Ramanagar falls under forestland, construction company is going ahead with its plans of the movie-themed park
Ramgadh, the village whose residents were preyed upon by Bollywood villain Gabbar Singh, is facing another threat.
Sources now say that revenue officials are allegedly helping Ananthara Hospitality, a city-based company building a Sholay themed resort on the hillocks of Ramanagar, while a recent survey shows it is forestland.
Even as MiD DAY earlier carried a series of reports, forest officials were beaten up by workers of Ananthara Hospitality, when they had tried to stop construction work.
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However, after the intervention of HD Kumaraswamy, former chief minister and local MP, the government had ordered for a joint survey of the land by the departments of forest and revenue.
The survey revealed that 6.78 acres of land belongs to forest department.
But, allegedly, the revenue department chose to sit on the report, while Anantara Hospitality has speeded up the building work.
"The report was ready in the month of June and work could have been stopped, had the revenue department submitted it to the court," said Shivananjiah, convener of the civic group that is fighting to save the forest area. "We are contemplating filing a PIL questioning the apparently deliberate delay."
When called, Chandrashekariah, deputy commissioner of Ramanagara, said, "The delay is not deliberate. The district in-charge minister has reviewed the issue and has given 15 days to decide on what to do in this regard. Accordingly, we will take relevant steps in time."
u00a0Meanwhile, the hospitality firm is in no mood to stop work and in fact it seems to have speeded up after apparently getting a wind of the joint survey report.
"I heard the survey confirms the land belongs to forest department. But, it was granted to us, and we will appeal the government to de-notify it and I hope to get a positive response," G Ravishankar, CEO of Anantara Hospitality.
He added that the timeline to complete the project was one year.
"There is political pressure on the revenue department to de-notify the land, but the rules won't allow so," said a forest official requesting anonymity.
He added, "One must note that the area is earmarked for a sanctuary for long billed vultures as it is the natural habitat of the endangered species."
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