Forest Lands Retrieval Efforts Progress in Adilabad District
Clashes between forest staff and podu cultivators
Adilabad: The forest department is conducting a land retrieval mission across the erstwhile Adilabad, taking back podu lands being cultivated by the tribals and non-tribals. Most of the podu lands are “encroached” forestlands.
Forest officials activated their drive when podu cultivators started ploughing their lands and sowing seeds following the rains in the region. Officials say they have retrieved 1000 acres at Itikalpahd in Sirpur (T).
The forest department, allegedly trenching the podu lands being cultivated by local farmers, claims that these are either forest land or lands “in the reserve forest” and that the locals are raising plantations on the lands retrieved from the podu cultivators.
However, the forest teams attempting to retrieve the lands are facing resistance from the podu cultivators backed by local political leaders.
In a few instances, some local farmers alleged that the forest staff is obstructing them from cultivating the lands for which they have ROFR pattas and even displayed the patta passbooks at Anukshapur.
Along with the podu cultivators, Sirpur (T) MLA Palvai Harish Babu began cultivation of lands by personally ploughing the podu lands at Ankushapur.
The incidents of clashes between podu cultivators and forest staff occurred at Murimadugu, Kalleda, Jannaram, Kerameri, Asifabad, Ankushapur in Kagaznagar, Neelvai, Chennur, Bejjur, Penchikalpet, Ichoda and Kadam in erstwhile Adilabad district.
Khanapur MLA Vedma Bojju of the Congress, Palvai Harish Babu of BJP and Kova Laxmi of BRS are taking the side of the podu cultivators. They say the forest staff are harassing and obstructing the cultivation of podu lands in their respective assembly constituencies.
Vedma Bojju requested the collectors of Adilabad and Nirmal districts to instruct the forest staff not to harass the adivasis cultivating the podu lands for a long time and have ROFR pattas for such lands.
He submitted a memorandum to secretary to the Forest Department, Ahmed Nadeem, to issue clear instructions to officials to stop harassing the adivasis in his assembly constituency.
