Forest staff convince Guthikoyas to clear forest encroachment in Kothagudem

Guthikoya tribal families in Kothagudem voluntarily vacated a forest habitation in Mamidigudem, reclaiming nearly 75 acres of land. The relocation was achieved peacefully, without police involvement or use of force, following a year of awareness campaigns by the forest department.

Kothagudem: In a first of its kind development in the district, a migrant Guthikoya tribal habitation put up in the forests was being vacated voluntarily by the tribals.

According to forest officials, a group of tribals from Chhattisgarh came to Mulkalapalli mandal in search of work in 2011-12. They worked as labourers locally and built a habitation on a two acre revenue land near Mulakalapalli and lived there.

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Later in 2018, they started setting up a habitation in a deep forest area at Mamidigudem in the mandal. About 45 families built 45 houses as an alternate settlement along with 60-70 cattle sheds and they were engaged in podu farming.

The forest officials, in order to clear the encroachment in the forest area, held a series of meetings with the tribals over the past one year explaining to them about the importance of forest preservation.

On September 16, the entire staff of Kothagudem forest division carried out an 18 km mass combing and forest march in the Satyampet beat circle. As a result of continuous meetings, they motivated the tribals to finally agree to move out of the forest.

Speaking to Telangana Today, Kothagudem divisional forest officer, U Koteshwara Rao informed that the Guthikoyas voluntarily started removing their houses and cattle sheds on Wednesday and agreed to completely vacate the habitation within this week.

Thus the forest department was able to reclaim nearly 75 acres of forest area. It was achieved with the collective efforts of the forest staff, without the involvement of police or revenue personnel and without any use of force, he said.