Ravindra Kumar

Details

Award Category : Government Official of the Year

Year : 2019

Unknown to many city dwellers, Bengaluru has numerous protected forest areas that is not only home to our city’s wildlife but also crucial to maintaining the local climate and protecting our city from the heat island effect.
Sadly however, Bengaluru’s sky-rocketing real estate process and urbanisation has made these forests vulnerable to encroachment. Ravindra Kumar, the Assistant Conservator of Forests and official in the Karnataka Forest Department have been instrumental in reclaiming encroached land in Bengaluru Zone. Having managed to reclaim 130 acres of forest land, including areas in the Turahalli Forest Zone.
His war against encroachers resulted in vested interests knowing the doors of power for his transfer . Yet, owing to citizens pressure and widespread protests, his transfer was put on hold. Added to this, Ravindra Kumar is also trying to ensure that the encroachers do not use loop holes in our legal system to issue stays to reclamation drives carried out by him and his office.