A total of 38,037.40 hectares of forestland have been encroached by private persons in the State, informed Forests and Environment Minister Bijayshree Routray in the State Assembly in response to a question of Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati on Wednesday. The Minister mentioned that three industrialists and 17,724 private persons have encroached upon the lands and cases have been filed in different courts to free the encroached lands from them. The Minister further informed that process for resettlement of eligible people under the Forests Rights Act is going on in the State. In Koraput, 298.84 hectares of land have been encroached by 936 persons, stated the Minister.