Complaint submitted to K’taka Guv against Fisheries Minister over forest land encroachment. Complaint was filed by RTI activists Shankar Naik, Nagendra Naik and Nagesh Naik from Bhatkal town in Karwar district. A similar complaint has also been submitted to the Chief Conservator of Forests. Additionally, a petition has been filed in court seeking action. This development is seen as a setback for the Congress government ahead of the budget session scheduled to commence on March 3. The complaint further states that the encroachment took place on May 18, 2024. Despite a complaint being registered, forest officials allegedly omitted Minister Vaidya’s name and filed a case against others instead. The complainants have accused the minister of using his political influence to evade action. The minister had earlier stirred a controversy with his statement that he would order authorities to shoot at cow smugglers in public. He stated: \”I have given clear instructions to the Superintendent of Police that this must stop under all circumstances. This is an injustice. We worship cows and care for them with great love. We grow up drinking their milk, and even today, we consume it.\”
