Telangana Forest department officials blame the continued encroachment of forest lands on the “faulty” determination of land in cultivation under the forest rights, and claim that ‘podu’ (shifting cultivation) is but an euphemism for encroachments.
According to the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs’ directive, satellite imagery cannot be the exclusive criterion for allotment of forest rights. Instead, it should be coupled with determination of the rights through ‘Gram Sabhas’.
The directive was issued after objections by activists, saying the satellite imagery can be deceptive for many reasons.
“After the directive, encroachments have spiralled with mutual support among the occupants. While December 13, 2005, has been set as cut-off date for determining the land in possession of tribals and forest dwellers, no deadline was fixed for settlement of the rights,” P. Raghuveer, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (IT), said.
However, after state bifurcation, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has taken a firm stand against “encroachments” and closed the settlement of forest rights in the state, he says.
Dismissing the claims of ‘podu’, Mr. Raghuveer says the practice of shifting cultivation, once present in north-eastern India, involved leaving the land fallow for over 30 years after one stint of slash-and-burn cultivation.
With the existing pressure and premium placed on forest land, no one is willing to leave the land once they have got possession of it.
There have been several instances in recent past, where villagers supported by local politicians have confronted forest officials and hindered them from planting in the allegedly encroached forest lands.
Ashwaraopet MLA Thati Venkateshwarlu went on record threatening to “break the legs” of forest officials if they tried to occupy ‘podu’ lands.
MP Seetaram Naik too called for “atrocity cases” against forest officials if they harassed farmers. Most recently, MLA Koram Kanakaiah of the Illendu constituency himself went to the site in Kothagudem division being planted under ‘Haritha Haram’ and ordered the forest officials and workers to leave, officials say.
All these lands were, in fact, established as forest lands in the joint survey by Revenue and Forest officials, notified so by District Collectors.
