Rajkot: In a crackdown aimed at protecting reserved forest land and local wildlife, the forest department on Saturday removed illegal religious structures from the Mirjapar reserve forest in the Bhuj West Range of Kutch district.The operation vacated approximately 3,000 square metres of prime forest land, valued at an estimated Rs 15 crore.The anti-encroachment drive was carried out under the guidance of Dhiraj Mittal, conservator of forests (Kutch forest circle), and Harsh Thakkar, deputy conservator of forests.According to officials, the cleared encroachments included permanent structures built in the names of the Hazrat Mishkinsa Wali Dargah and the Hazrat Mamusai Dargah, alongside other surrounding unauthorised setups near the ITI College inside the Mirjapar forest.Authorities said the department had previously served notices regarding the unauthorised occupations. The demolition and eviction process was initiated after the expiration of the notice period in strict accordance with statutory rules, restoring physicalpossession of the land to the forest department.
