Officials Suggest Bamboo Plantation To Resolve Podu Land Row

Villagers from Mamidigiguda and Dammannapet in Dandepalli had encroached on forest land in the Lingapur beat of Thallapet Range in Mancherial district.

District officials, led by collector Kumar Deepak, are trying to resolve the dispute between the forest department and tribal cultivators amicably, while also seeking a permanent solution. Officials plan to discourage further encroachment by offering alternative proposals.

As part of this effort, the collector proposed raising bamboo plantations on the encroached land under Community Forest Management. Revenue from the plantations would be shared with the local tribals involved in raising them.

The collector also held talks with the villagers of Dammannapet, who had encroached on the land and were involved in the assault on forest staff. He said the administration would encourage tribals to cultivate bamboo in forest areas and would allocate funds for digging pits, supplying bamboo seeds, and providing urea and water. The tribals would also be given the opportunity to earn income by selling the bamboo they grow.

A team of surveyors recently assessed the extent of the encroached land at Dammannapet. District officials are planning to establish bamboo plantations there with the consent of the encroachers.

Podu cultivators, however, insist they will not vacate the land they have been cultivating, while forest officials maintain it is protected forest land in Dandepalli mandal.

Meanwhile, police arrested 13 women involved in the assault on forest staff at Dammannapet on September 12, but later released them.

It is also learnt that the encroachers of Dammannapet have been questioning forest officials about why they were not removed earlier, pointing out that they have been cultivating land in nearby Koyaposhaguda since 2021.