Forest staff troubling podu farmers: MLA Kantha Rao
Kothagudem: Pinapaka MLA Rega Kantha Rao accused forest officers of troubling tribals with regard to podu lands and causing hindrance to development works in agency villages. In a post on his facebook page he called upon the party workers and the tribals in the district to get ready for a direct fight with the forest […]
Kothagudem: Pinapaka MLA Rega Kantha Rao accused forest officers of troubling tribals with regard to podu lands and causing hindrance to development works in agency villages. In a post on his facebook page he called upon the party workers and the tribals in the district to get ready for a direct fight with the forest department officials’.
Speaking to press persons over phone from Hyderabad on Tuesday he complained that the forest officials have evicted thousands of tribals from their lands and digging trenches in the lands. In addition to that the foresters have been posting flags in podu lands under cultivation by tribals in Gundala, Allapalli, Karakagudem, Burgampahad and other mandals. “For the seven months I have been speaking to forest authorities trying to resolve the issue of podu lands, but in vain” Kantha Rao noted.
On several instances the District Collector MV Reddy also expressed anger at the non-cooperation by forest department officials. In order to survey and demarcate forest land and the podu lands he deputed six surveyors but the forest officials were not ready to allow the survey.
As the Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao has assured to address podu land issue and to give pattas to podu farmers the officials were asked to wait and not to trouble the podu farmers till the Chief Minister takes a decision. But they were not ready to listen, the MLA explained.
At Garimellapadu village the forest department took 100 acres of land from tribals promising them to set up a nursery to ensure livelihood but the nursery was later become defunct thus the tribals were left without land and livelihood.
Some forest officials were refusing to accept the authenticity of pattas issued to podu farmers by the previous governments. They were working against the State government aspirations and not permitting to build even a small culvert in the agency villages, Kantha Rao alleged. Informing that he would soon call on the Chief Minister to take the issue to his notice the MLA said the matter was already explained to MLC K Kavitha.
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