RTI for Karnataka Forest Department — Tiger Reserve, Forest Land, FRA Rights and CAMPA Fund Records

Karnataka's forests — covering the Western Ghats in the west, the Cauvery basin tiger reserves in the south, and the Dandeli-Anshi landscape in the north — are among the most ecologically and legally complex terrain in India. The Karnataka Forest Department (Aranya Vibhag) administers over 38,000 square kilometres of recorded forest area, manages four of the country's most significant tiger reserves and wildlife sanctuaries, adjudicates boundary disputes between coffee and cardamom plantations and reserve forests across Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru, implements the Forest Rights Act 2006 for Soliga, Jenukuruba, and other tribal communities, and manages compensatory afforestation funds running to hundreds of crores of rupees. Every one of these functions generates official records to which citizens are entitled under the Right to Information Act, 2005.

This guide explains what information can be obtained from the Karnataka Forest Department, how to identify the correct CPIO, how to draft and file an effective RTI application, and how to pursue appeals — including through the Karnataka Information Commission (KIC) at the second appeal stage.

Karnataka's Forest Governance Structure

The Karnataka Forest Department (Aranya Vibhag) operates under a vertical hierarchy headquartered at Aranya Bhavan, 18th Cross, Malleswaram, Bengaluru. The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and Head of Forest Force (HoFF) is the apex officer. Below the PCCF sit Additional PCCFs handling specific wings (Wildlife, CAMPA, Social Forestry, Vigilance), Chief Conservators of Forests (CCFs) for administrative circles, and Conservators of Forests (CFs) supervising multiple districts. At the field level, the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) is the primary operational officer for each forest division, assisted by Range Forest Officers (RFOs), Deputy Range Forest Officers (DRFOs), and Forest Guards.

For tiger reserves, there is a parallel command: each reserve is headed by a Field Director (typically a senior IFS officer) who reports separately on project tiger matters. Nagarhole (Rajiv Gandhi National Park) and Bandipur Tiger Reserve have their own Field Directors; BRT Wildlife Sanctuary is administered by a DFO-level officer.

For RTI purposes, the DFO of the relevant forest division is typically the correct first point of contact — they hold the field-level records on encroachment, FRA verification, wildlife incidents, and CAMPA works. For state-level aggregated data, CAMPA policy, or wildlife headquarters records, file with the CPIO at the PCCF's office, Aranya Bhavan, Bengaluru.

What Forest Department Records Are Available via RTI?

Forest Encroachment Records and Action Taken Reports (ATRs)

Forest encroachment — the illegal occupation or cultivation of reserved forest or protected area land — is a persistent issue across Karnataka's key forest districts, particularly Kodagu (where coffee plantation expansion has historically pushed into adjoining reserve forest), Chamarajanagar (buffer zone agricultural encroachments around Bandipur TR), and Uttara Kannada (mining-related forest clearances in the Dandeli region).

Under the Karnataka Forest Act, 1963, and the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, the DFO is required to detect encroachments, issue notice, and take eviction and prosecution action. RTI can obtain: the total number of encroachment cases in a specific division and year; the survey and compartment numbers involved; the area encroached; the category (agricultural, construction, plantation); the action taken (notice, eviction, prosecution, court proceedings); and the status of each case. For protected areas, the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, provides additional powers, and the action taken report should reflect use of both statutes. An ATR obtained via RTI creates a baseline against which the citizen can evaluate whether the department is acting on known encroachments or allowing them to persist.

Forest Rights Act 2006: Tribal Claim Verification Records

The FRA 2006 gives tribal and other traditional forest dwellers the right to claim title to forest land they were cultivating or residing on before 13 December 2005. In Karnataka, the Forest Department plays a crucial role in the FRA process: the DFO's office is required to submit a field verification report to the Sub-Divisional Level Committee (SDLC) for each individual and community claim referred to it. If the Forest Department objects to a claim, that objection must be in writing, cite the specific legal provision, and be placed before the SDLC or DLC for consideration — the claimant is then entitled to respond.

In practice, claims in Soliga areas around BRT Wildlife Sanctuary, Jenukuruba and Jenu Kuruba areas in the Nagarhole and Bandipur TR buffer zones, and Kodagu adivasi settlements adjoining reserve forests have often been stalled because the Forest Department's field verification reports are delayed, incomplete, or converted into informal objections that are never formally placed before the DLC. RTI to the DFO's office can surface: the field verification report for a specific claim number; whether any written objection was filed and the grounds cited; the date the report was forwarded to the SDLC; and district-level FRA claim statistics for the Forest Department's verification role.

CAMPA Fund Utilisation

The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) collects funds from project proponents who divert forest land for non-forest use, and those funds must be used for afforestation, wildlife management, and forest protection in the state. Karnataka receives significant CAMPA funds annually, disbursed to divisions through the State CAMPA Authority.

RTI can be used to obtain: the total CAMPA funds received by a specific forest division or the state as a whole in a given financial year; the works executed with CAMPA funds (plantation areas, protection works, waterholes, anti-poaching camps, wildlife corridors); the expenditure under each head; survival audits of plantations funded by CAMPA; and whether any CAMPA funds lapsed or were diverted. The utilisation certificates submitted by DFOs to the State CAMPA Authority are official records fully disclosable under the RTI Act.

Tiger Reserve and Wildlife Records

Nagarhole Tiger Reserve (Part of Project Tiger since 1999, covering 643 sq km core and 593 sq km buffer) and Bandipur Tiger Reserve (880 sq km core and 587 sq km buffer) together form the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve's Karnataka component. RTI to the respective Field Directors can obtain: the estimated tiger population from the most recent All India Tiger Estimation exercise; the number of tiger deaths (natural mortality, poaching, electrocution, road kill) recorded in a given year; post-mortem and FIR records where applicable; the number and nature of human–wildlife conflict incidents in the buffer zone; the status of ex-gratia payments to affected farmers or families; and records relating to relocation or voluntary village relocation schemes within the core zone.

Bandipur Tiger Reserve is also the site of the long-running Mysuru–Ooty National Highway (NH-766) night traffic litigation. RTI can be used to obtain the Forest Department's compliance records, the number of vehicles passing through the reserve, wildlife mortality incidents on this highway, and any representations made by the department to MoEFCC or the courts.

Eco-Sensitive Zone Compliance

India's Protected Area eco-sensitive zones — buffer areas around national parks and wildlife sanctuaries where specified activities are regulated — are notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and monitored by a state-level Monitoring Committee on which the Forest Department is represented. RTI can obtain: the final ESZ notification (or its current status if a final notification has not yet been issued); the list of development proposals approved or rejected within the ESZ; the minutes of the Monitoring Committee meetings; and the Forest Department's own compliance or inspection reports.

Wildlife Crime Records

The Karnataka Forest Department's Wildlife Crime Branch registers criminal cases under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, for offences including poaching, illegal wildlife trade, snare laying, and forest produce smuggling. RTI can obtain: the number of FIRs filed in a given year by division or district; the species involved; the nature of the offence; the stage of prosecution; and the custodial records of confiscated trophies and wildlife articles held by the Chief Wildlife Warden's office.

How to Identify the Correct CPIO

The Karnataka Forest Department has SPIOs/CPIOs designated at each office level:

• For encroachment ATRs, FRA verification records, CAMPA works, and wildlife incidents in a specific division: file with the CPIO, DFO's office, for the relevant forest division (e.g., Kodagu North, Kodagu South, Mysuru, Nagarhole, Chamarajanagar, Uttara Kannada North).
• For tiger reserve–specific records (tiger census, tiger deaths, human–wildlife conflict, ESZ): file with the CPIO, Field Director's office, of the relevant tiger reserve (Nagarhole TR / Bandipur TR / Dandeli-Anshi TR).
• For BRT Wildlife Sanctuary records: file with the CPIO, DFO (Wildlife), Chamarajanagar.
• For state-level CAMPA utilisation, wildlife headquarters records, or aggregated statewide data: file with the CPIO, PCCF's office, Aranya Bhavan, 18th Cross, Malleswaram, Bengaluru – 560003.

If you are unsure of the correct division, you may transfer-file with the PCCF's office, which is required under Section 6(3) of the RTI Act to transfer your application to the appropriate CPIO within 5 days.

How to File RTI with the Karnataka Forest Department

Step 1: Draft Your Application

Use the sample RTI above as a base. Be precise about the forest division, district, financial year, and (for encroachment queries) the survey/compartment number. Separate each information request into a numbered point — vague or bundled requests are more easily evaded. For CAMPA queries, specify the financial year range. For FRA queries, include the claim number and the claimant's name.

Step 2: File Online or by Post

Karnataka state public authorities — including all offices of the Karnataka Forest Department — accept RTI applications through the Karnataka government's RTI portal at rti.karnataka.gov.in, which allows online payment of the ₹10 fee. You may also submit a physical application by registered post addressed to the CPIO of the relevant DFO's or PCCF's office. BPL cardholders are exempt from the fee; attach a copy of your BPL card.

Note: The central government portal at rtionline.gov.in handles only Central Government ministries and departments — Karnataka state forest offices are not accessible through that portal. Use rti.karnataka.gov.in or postal filing for Karnataka Forest Department RTIs.

Step 3: Track the Timeline

Under Section 7(1) of the RTI Act, 2005, the CPIO must respond within 30 days of receipt. If the information concerns the life or liberty of a person, the response is due within 48 hours (Section 7(1) proviso). Keep your acknowledgement number.

Step 4: First and Second Appeals

If the Forest Department does not respond within 30 days, or provides an incomplete or evasive response:

• First Appeal under Section 19(1): File with the First Appellate Authority (FAA) designated in the Karnataka Forest Department — typically the Conservator of Forests (CF) of the relevant circle for a DFO-level RTI, or a senior officer designated by the PCCF for headquarters-level RTIs. File within 30 days of the date of decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable. No fee is required.
• Second Appeal under Section 19(3): If the FAA's response is absent or unsatisfactory, file with the Karnataka Information Commission (KIC) within 90 days of the FAA's decision or the expiry of the FAA's response period. No fee is payable. The KIC can order the department to furnish the information and impose a penalty of ₹250 per day (up to ₹25,000 maximum) on the CPIO personally under Section 20 of the RTI Act for delay or denial without reasonable cause.

Jurisdictional Note: KIC — Not CIC

The Karnataka Forest Department is entirely a state public authority under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005. This means:

• All First Appeals go to the FAA within the Karnataka Forest Department.
• All Second Appeals go to the Karnataka Information Commission (KIC) — constituted under Section 15 of the RTI Act as Karnataka's State Information Commission.
• The Central Information Commission (CIC) has no jurisdiction over the Karnataka Forest Department, Karnataka CAMPA authority, or any field office of the Aranya Vibhag.

A common mistake is to confuse the Central Government's Project Tiger (National Tiger Conservation Authority / NTCA, a Central Government body under MoEFCC) with the Karnataka Forest Department's tiger reserve field offices. RTI filed with NTCA goes to a Central authority and second appeal is to the CIC. RTI filed with the Field Director, Nagarhole TR, or the Field Director, Bandipur TR, goes to a Karnataka state authority and second appeal is to the KIC. Always ensure you are addressing the correct authority and the correct appellate body.

Practical Tips for an Effective Forest RTI

• Specify the compartment number for encroachment queries. Karnataka's forest is divided into compartments within each forest range. Providing only the village name will often yield an incomplete response. Obtain the compartment number from the nearest Forest Range Office before filing.
• Ask for both the field verification report and the forwarding note. For FRA claims, the most probative RTI asks not only for the field verification report but also for the covering note or official letter with which the DFO's office forwarded the report to the SDLC — this confirms the date of forwarding, enabling you to calculate delay at each tier.
• Request CAMPA plantation GPS coordinates and survival audit. CAMPA plantation RTIs are most effective when they ask not just for the area planted and expenditure, but for the GPS-mapped plantation area and the survival audit percentage — these two data points together reveal whether the plantation was genuinely executed.
• For tiger deaths, ask for the post-mortem report number and the veterinary officer's name. The post-mortem report for tiger and large wildlife deaths is an official document held by the Field Director's office. Asking for it specifically, along with the veterinarian's name and the FIR number where a poaching case was registered, forces the department to engage with the specifics of each incident rather than providing a bare count.
• For coffee estate–forest boundary disputes in Kodagu, file RTI with both the DFO's office (for forest survey records and the working plan compartment boundary) and the Sub-Registrar's office (for the plantation's registered documents) — discrepancies between the two will identify the nature of the encroachment claim.