Adilabad: The TS government plans to impose a 10-acre ceiling on forest lands being cultivated by tribals and for which they have no pattas. Any tribal cultivating more than 10 acres of forest land will have to give up the excess land. A survey is being conducted in Warangal, Khammam and Adilabad districts to identify such lands. The lands taken by the forest department will be redistributed among the poor tribals.
The state government is of the opinion that up to 10-acres of land can be assigned under Land Assignment Act to tribal cultivators, if eligible. The state government’s plans are based on reports that some tribals have become landlords having up to 50 acres in their possession and giving this land on lease to others or cultivating them on benami names.
Forest officials say that there were many tribals in government service and also political leaders who have over 10 acres of land in their possession illegally without having pattas.
A senior forest officer of Adilabad said the tribals migrating to Sarangapur in Nirmal district from bordering Kinwat of Maharashtra had cleared hundreds of acres of forest land.
Some were even selling these lands by dividing them into parcels of 5 acre each.
Forests minister Jogu Ramanna told DC that state government would impose a 10-acre ceiling on forest lands being cultivated by the tribals after getting the survey report.
“The forest department will not take over lands being cultivated by the tribals before December 13, 2005, as per the guidelines of the Forest Rights Act, 2006,” the minister said, adding that the government will “definitely” protect forest lands.
