Podu land issue resurfaces in Kumram Bheem Asifabad amid monsoon

The long-standing Podu land issue has resurfaced in Kumram Bheem Asifabad district with tribals and forest officials once again confronting each other over cultivation rights. Forest authorities cite wildlife conservation concerns, while villagers fear losing their livelihoods and traditional cultivation lands.

Kumram Bheem Asifabad: The shifting cultivation, or Podu land issue, has resurfaced in the district with the onset of the monsoon.

People, particularly tribals, living in forest-fringe villages have traditionally depended on shifting cultivation for several decades. They occupy a piece of land in the forest and cultivate crops before shifting to another location. They do not encroach upon forest land permanently. This practice was later adopted by non-tribal communities over a period of time.

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However, shrinking forest cover, allegedly due to shifting cultivation, has adversely impacted wildlife conservation. Forest areas affected by disturbances in the form of encroachments have stopped attracting tigers, causing concern among forest officials. This has resulted in man-animal conflict. Tigers in search of territory tend to attack humans while moving along the fringes of forests.

In an effort to check the menace, officials have started marking boundaries between forest and revenue lands. They are digging trenches to prevent the occupation of forest lands. They are also registering cases against those cultivating crops on forest land. Their efforts have often resulted in clashes with residents of interior villages.

Both tribals and non-tribals from forest-fringe villages continue to confront forest officials for preventing them from tilling land at regular intervals. They allege that they are being harassed by officials for raising crops. They claim that they have been cultivating the land for a long time. They regret that they would lose their livelihood if the lands are retrieved.

On Tuesday, aboriginal tribals from Surdapur village in Kerameri mandal reportedly hurled stones at forest officials for stopping them from tilling a piece of land. Mild tension prevailed for a while when forest officials, along with police personnel, prevented farmers from raising crops on disputed Podu lands on the outskirts of Dimda village in Chinthalamanepalli mandal a few days ago.

Forest officials argue that encroachment of forest land is obstructing tigers from inhabiting forests in the district. They maintain that forest land is being distributed to eligible tribals and poor people. They accuse certain non-tribals of occupying forest land, thereby hindering wildlife conservation.