Surrender Illegal Firearms by November 1 or Face Strict Action, DK Shivakumar Warns in Bengaluru
Bengaluru, September 11: Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Friday set a November 1 deadline for people possessing unlicensed and illegal firearms to voluntarily surrender them to the government, warning that strict action would follow if such weapons were found after the deadline.
Speaking at the National Forest Martyrs Day programme at Aranya Bhavan in Malleswaram, Shivakumar said no case would be registered against those who voluntarily surrender illegal weapons within the stipulated period.
He said many Forest Department personnel had lost their lives to unlicensed firearms and urged people who keep guns for their own protection or for protecting their animals to obtain the required licence.
Recalling an earlier instance, Shivakumar said a senior officer named Ramamurthy had informed him that many people possessed illegal country-made guns. He said that at the time, more than 300 guns were surrendered to the government by people in his constituency. The government has information that more such country-made firearms continue to exist, he added.
Shivakumar also said the government would soon consider the issue of allowances for Forest Department personnel. Referring to a request made by the minister concerned, he said the matter would be discussed with the Finance Department and a combined decision would be taken covering the Police Department as well.
Paying tribute to forest personnel, he said they protect the country’s forest wealth and that several personnel had sacrificed their lives in conflicts involving wildlife.
Shivakumar also spoke about his personal association with forests, saying his village, home, constituency and life had remained closely connected with forest areas. Recalling the Arkavathi, he said Mahseer fish were found there and that he used to sit and fish with a hook.
He said this association had once made him aspire to become Forest Minister. During S.M. Krishna’s tenure, he had sought the portfolio but was initially made Agriculture Minister, he recalled. He said the portfolio was subsequently given to Jayachandra and he was assigned Cooperation. He was 38 at the time, Shivakumar said. During a later Cabinet expansion, he was given Urban Development instead of Forest, around the period of actor Rajkumar’s abduction, he recalled.
Turning to the relationship between forest officials and communities living along forest fringes, Shivakumar asked the department to build a friendly environment with local residents. He said forest encroachment was not a recent issue and should be resolved according to law, while officials should avoid putting undue pressure on people.
He also cautioned Forest Department officials against what he described as excessive conduct in some matters and said they should not obstruct development works. Certain exemptions should be provided where appropriate, he said.
Shivakumar said the earth does not belong to humans, but protecting it remains their responsibility. He praised efficient and honest officers in the Forest Department and said forests in several places had remained safe because of their work.
The Chief Minister called on forest officials to work towards the success of the Tegada Siri scheme, saying it would provide greater benefits to farmers. He also asked officials to focus on increasing the Forest Department’s revenue. Recalling an earlier policy decision, he said private landowners were allowed to grow sandalwood when K.H. Ranganath was the minister concerned.
On the Kasturirangan report, Shivakumar said Karnataka had returned it three or four times. He alleged that Karnataka and Kerala had been treated differently and said a special session would be convened to discuss the issue.
Shivakumar also recalled a visit to Kabini, saying he was astonished by the area’s wildlife wealth and saw more than 250 elephants within a short period. He said Karnataka possessed rich wildlife resources and recalled former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s emphasis on forest conservation.
He referred to bamboo that grew extensively at Shivaldappana Betta near his village and said people used it to weave bamboo baskets, describing the relationship between people and greenery as significant.
Highlighting threats to valuable forest produce even in protected or official spaces, Shivakumar recalled incidents in which ivory was stolen from the office of a senior Forest Department official. He also said he had witnessed attempts to steal sandalwood trees near the house where he lived and from the compounds of ministers’ residences.
The Chief Minister said tree parks would be developed on Forest Department land in urban areas to expand the city’s green lungs. He recalled a tree-planting initiative involving schoolchildren that had been successful in Bengaluru and said he had asked the city corporations to give greater attention to such programmes.
Shivakumar also referred to Minister Ramalinga Reddy’s earlier administrative responsibilities, saying Reddy had been given the Irrigation Department and that several priests had requested that he continue to hold the Muzrai Department because of the way he had managed it.
Referring to their electoral careers, Shivakumar said he and Ramalinga Reddy had each contested nine elections and lost once, adding that both had won eight consecutive times. He said Siddaramaiah and B.S. Yediyurappa had also suffered electoral defeats in between.
The Chief Minister’s remarks came during the National Forest Martyrs Day programme, where personnel who sacrificed their lives protecting forests and wildlife were remembered.
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