Patna: Patna High Court on Wednesday directed the state government to file a report on removal of encroachment of forest land from Kaimur and Nalanda districts.

The order was passed by the division bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice Rajeev Ranjan Prasad while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by social activist Vikash Chandra alias Guddu Baba.

Earlier, the high court had directed Nalanda and Kaimur district magistrates (DMs), S.M. Thiyagrajan and Dr Nawal Kishor Choudhary to file an affidavit in the case related to encroachment of forest land in both the districts.

While the report from Nalanda has been received, Kaimur DM is yet to file an affidavit in this regard.

The court on Wednesday directed the Kaimur DM to file the report within two weeks when the case will be next heard.

Guddu Baba in his petition had said around 352 acres of forest land has been encroached in Kaimur, while another 1.36 hectares have been encroached at Biharsharif in Nalanda by locals and land mafias.

The court was told that encroachments at most of these places started for agriculture purposes which eventually led to human hutments and cutting down of trees for fuel and fodder.

The petitioner further told the court that various laws have been enacted, which give rights to the state governments to evict encroachers, including the Indian Forest Act, 1927, Wild Life Protection Act, 1972, and Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. Despite these laws the land mafias have been successful in grabbing the forest land, Baba told the court.

In its earlier hearing on July 3, the court had directed the state to file a reply stating the exact area of forest land encroached in the state.

The officials of forest department have admitted before the court that large-scale encroachment exists in both the places.

However, the official informed the bench that despite their earlier attempts to get the land freed, they felt helpless in doing so as their move was restricted owing to strong opposition from the encroachers who happen to be influential and powerful persons.

On this issue itself, the bench had directed the Nalanda and Kaimur DMs to file an affidavit in the court stating the steps taken so far to get the land freed and also what they intend to do in future to remove encroachment.