Yerrabodu Gutti Koyas served eviction notices

There were around 25 to 28 houses in the habitation. The Forest officials explained to the residents about the act and the purpose of serving notices to them.

Kothagudem: Forest officials on Monday served eviction notices to the Gutti Koya tribe members in the Yerrabodu habitation in Bendalapadu gram panchayat in the district.

The notices came in the wake of the November 22 killing of forest range officer Ch Srinivas Rao, allegedly by two residents of the habitation. District Forest Officer (DFO) Ranjith Naik said the eviction notices were served to the residents as per provisions of the Telangana State Forest (Conservation Act) 1980, which prohibits all kinds of illegal settlements in the forest.

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There were around 25 to 28 houses in the habitation. The Forest officials explained to the residents about the act and the purpose of serving notices to them. Such notices were also served to the residents many times in the past as the habitation was set up illegally, the DFO said, suggesting that the serving of eviction notices was not entirely a fallout of the FRO’s killing.

To a question whether there were any chances of forcible eviction in view of the refusal of the Gutti Koyas to move out of the habitation, Naik said the department was yet to take any decision on that.

The next process would be serving confiscation notices to the residents if they failed to respond to the eviction notices. The Forest Act clearly states that any structure built in the forests without a valid document could be confiscated, even if it was related to agricultural activity, the DFO said.

Meanwhile, an elder of Yerrabodu habitation, Ravva Ramesh, told the media that the residents had nothing to do with the murder accused, Madakam Tula and Podium Naga, who were caught by the police a day after the killing. He said the residents would stay put at Yerrabodu.

On Saturday, a gram sabha at Bendalapadu had passed a resolution boycotting the Yerrabodu residents and demanding the State government to evict them from the habitation.