Corruption, Illegal Land Sale Adds A New Dimension To Podu Problem
Trees felled in Nizamabad district forests to create podu cultivation patches
wNIZAMABAD: The multi-dimensional problems surrounding podu land cultivation in Telangana has thrown up a less-talked-about issue, that of some unscrupulous forest department staff, unable to stop forest land encroachments, and under pressure from local politicians turning a blind eye, and in some cases, even making the best of a bad situation by collecting a cut from “sale and resale” of podu land by original patta owners, or from second and third “sales” of the land parcels.
According to sources, several such instances have occurred in multiple districts, including in Asifabad, erstwhile Warangal, Nizamabad, and Kamareddy. “This has become a serious problem with the original patta holder eligible to get Rythu Bharosa funds, and the “buyers” coming to us demanding that they should get these funds as they bought the land from the patta owners,” a senior forest department official said.
There is enormous pressure to allow unrestricted podu cultivation, and sources said several instances of a few forest department staff collecting money from podu farmers for using tractors, digging borewells in remote forest locations.
Incidentally, inquires on the ground revealed that though some who got podu pattas for three to five acres, were actually holding 10 acres or more after “buying” their neighbours podu lands in Nizamabad, Kamareddy, Mulugu, and Asifabad, among other districts with podu cultivation. In Nizamabad and Kamareddy, the district-level consultative committees are analysing the situation, sources said.
In several cases, the disputes resulting from podu land holdings have led to are resulting in law-and-order problems as witnessed in Thatipally, Pakala, Pandimadugu, Chimanpally, Jinigyala, Thumpally, Ravutla and other villages in the erstwhile Nizamabad district.
However, according to Nizamabad district forest officer Vikas Meena, despite the challenges, the forest department officials were working hard to prevent further encroachment of forest lands. He warned that stringent action will be initiated against encroachers adding that the forest department is taking all steps to prevent encroachment of lands abutting of reserve forests.
