By Ayodhya Prasad Singh

Recent data reveal the shocking fact that encroachment in forest areas has seen a whopping 146 per cent rise in the last one year. In most of these cases, it is done in such a systemic way that forest staff and officials are unable to trace a single evidence and are forced to consider the land as an open forest area.

But, then, there are officers like Varun Jain, who apply different methods using latest technology to tackle such cases. The 2017-batch IFS officer is tightening the noose around encroachers and successfully running a big eviction programme in Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh.

Within two years, he has managed to evacuate encroachers from more than 650 hectares of forest land. Under his leadership, more than 200 encroacher families have been evicted till now under five major eviction programmes.

Read Full Story https://indianmasterminds.com/features/beyond-headlines/how-this-ifs-officer-fought-against-encroachers-freed-hundreds-of-hectare-forest-land/