Hitting back at Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy on the HMT forest land issue, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Eshwar Khandre on Tuesday accused the Centre of selling forest land illegally for real estate businesses.

“The latest order is to vacate the forest land. There is no scope for real estate deals. In fact, it is HMT that is squatting on forest land. HMT is illegally using forest land for commercial purposes,” Mr. Khandre, who earlier held the Forest portfolio, told presspersons at Bidar.

While the Deputy Conservator of Forest, Begaluru Urban district, has through a 64 A inquiry under the Karnataka Forest Act, 1963, asked HMT to hand over 430 acres, Mr. Kumaraswamy on Monday alleged that it was the State government’s move to convert the land into real estate.

“The Karnataka Forest Act, 1963, states that once a forest always a forest. When the court has declared this as a forest, where is the option to convert it into real estate business?” the Minister asked, adding that the Supreme Court has also ruled that forest land will remain as forest always.

On allegations of Mr. Kumaraswamy that buildings exist now on the land, Mr. Khandre said that 280 acres of land has plantations and retains the character of a forest. “This is the property of seven crore Kannadigas and the affidavit submitted by HMT in Supreme Court puts the land value at ₹14,000 crore. I had announced the creation of a biopark on 444 acres, which will be a bigger lung space than Lalbagh and Cubbon Park. Let Mr. Kumaraswamy first revive NMDC and VISL and if he is keen on developing industries let him create large industries in Kalyana Karnataka region to provide employment,” he said.