ADILABAD: The state government wants to use technology like satellite imagery to protect the existing forest cover in the state. It also wants to resolve the long-pending land disputes between the Forest and Revenue departments over who owns the lands with the help of the Survey of India. The forest department can use satellite imagery to detect encroachment or felling of trees and get the forest striking force to intervene.
Forest lands have been cultivated by locals and adivasis for a long time and many MPTCs and ZPTCs have been asking officials and Minister Jogu Ramanna to issue pattas to these local cultivators. Cultivation of the disputed lands has become a law and order problem in many places in old Adilabad, Warangal and Khammam districts. Local people or Adivasis are revolting against forest staff for stopping them from cultivating the land as they have been doing for many years and want pattas or land documents to confirm ownership.
The Revenue department is also a player claiming that these lands belong to it. But it can issue pattas only after the dispute is resolved. Minister for Forests Jogu Ramanna is backing the Revenue department. Land pattas were not issued to such lands in the recent land records purification process.
