Karnataka state forest minister Eeshwar Khandre has said that all those encroaching on the forest land in Western Ghats will be evicted. In a meeting held in Bengaluru today, the minister instructed the senior officials from his department to evict any habitation that was built on forest land after 2015. The minister has issued instructions that action should be initiated against them within a month and a report to be submitted to him. He noted with dismay that many parts of the Western Ghats and Shola Forest have been converted into coffee plantations, houses, homestays, and resorts. He pointed out that unscientific development, deforestation and cutting the hills, movement of heavy vehicles on hilly terrains, and tourists in large numbers thronging these spots are reasons for landslides, as cited by the experts.