RAJAHMUNDRY: Forest officials fear encroachment of forest land by Polavaram irrigation project affected people and tribals from other states if they are not provided with adequate staff to protect nearly 1.45 lakh hectares of forest land at Chintur in East Godavari.
The newly created Chintur division comprises four mandals including Chintur, V.R. Puram, Coonavaram and Yetapaka. It is has a common border with three states including Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Telangana. The forest land is covered by natural forest and teak plantations and about 25,000 hectares forest area falls under Papikonda National Park. Godavari river passes through the forest area.
The forest area has wildlife like tigers, bisons and other animals in good number and is also vulnerable to smuggling of wood and poaching of wild animals. Tribals belonging to Guthikoya community from Chhattisgarh encroached nearly 6,000 hectares forest area and established their habitations and are taking up 'Podu' cultivation to raise pulses, cereals and other food grains.
Sources say that some of them have ration cards, voter ID cards and even Aadhaar cards and they also provide shelter to the Maoists whenever they visit the area.
The forest authorities say that out of the sanctioned strength of 157 executive posts in Chintur division, only 52 posts are filled up while the remaining posts are lying vacant since a long time. Though the state government had issued an order to fill up vacant posts in all departments in the district, their department was left untouched for varied reasons.
The authorities maintain that unless they have adequate staff, it will not be possible for them to safeguard the forest land from encroachment by not only the tribals from Chhattisgarh and Odisha and but also from Polavaram project affected people as a good number of affected people hail from the local area and their relief and rehabilitation package remain unsettled.
The forest authorities say that a communication was sent to the state government underlining the need to fill up vacant posts and strengthen the department to help them protect the forest land from encroachments and develop it further by taking up plantations and other activities.
Chintur divisional forest officer (Territorial) M.V. Prasada Rao said, "We have been making all out efforts to protect the forest land from encroachment and develop it despite facing severe shortage of staff. We appeal to the concerned authorities to fill up all vacant posts as early as possible and help us safeguard the forest land and the wildlife from the encroachers and the poachers."
