Divergent voices have gained decibels after the recent murder of the forest range officer Ch. Srinivas Rao in the hands of the members of the Gutti Koya tribe while attempting to clear the encroachment of the forest land near Yerrabodu habitation of Chandrugonda mandal in Bhadradri Kothagudem district.
Of the voices, one calls the migrant tribe a violent, uncivilised, and reprobate community encroaching on the vast tracts of forest land and needs to be sent back to its native state of Chhattisgarh without mercy.
Another perceives the community as a hapless, indigent tribe desperate for survival, hence exploited by others.
‘Solution lies in political will’
The solution for the issue holding a rather baleful portent for Telangana forest lands’ future, however, lies in political will, several others feel.
“We don’t need weapons or special power to deal with encroachers. It is solely a political problem and can be solved by the political class alone. All the political parties must declare that they would not support anyone who has encroached after 2005, the deadline for regularisation of encroachments as per the ROFR Act,” says former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) P. K. Jha.
Neither the government of the joint state nor the Telangana State government has any policy for the Gutti Koya tribe, members of which have been arriving in droves from the neighbouring state of Chhattisgarh, partly owing to the conflict there, and partly in search of opportunities.
“The devastation they caused to forests is phenomenal. In my area alone, about 10,000 acres of forest land have been encroached upon by them. Each family has occupied up to 30 acres of land, and some are contesting panchayat elections too. Sometimes, the locals take advantage of them to have the forest lands cleared at a price. Thanks to their poaching, there is hardly any wildlife left here.”G. Kista GoudDivisional Forest Officer, Mulugu
“Initially occupying areas around Dummugudem and Charla, they slowly crossed the Godavari River and occupied forested areas of Mulugu and Bhadrachalam districts. The devastation they caused to forests is phenomenal. In my area alone, about 10,000 acres of forest land have been encroached upon by them. Each family has occupied up to 30 acres of land, and some are contesting panchayat elections too. Sometimes, the locals take advantage of them to have the forest lands cleared at a price. Thanks to their poaching, there is hardly any wildlife left here,” says DFO, Mulugu, G. Kista Goud.
Interestingly, the tribe was not known to fell forests in Chhattisgarh. Their newly acquired agriculture skill in the rich soil along the Godavari River means that they will not leave here, for the dry, hopeless terrain of Chhattisgarh is cursed with conflict.
‘They returned every time’
“Initially we tried sending them back along with all their belongings, but no use. They returned every time, more in numbers. In Bijapur and Sukma, there don’t have opportunities for growth. No development and no employment,” Mr. Goud says. As the rights activists do not fail to point out, one has the constitutional right to stay in any state of the country.
According to the Forest department’s official records, there are 216 Gutti Koya habitations and 5,654 families living in 15 districts of Telangana state. Off the record, officials confirm that the numbers are far higher, and a total of 7.5 lakh acres of forest land is under their occupation.
‘Unless the trees can vote’
Since sending them back is not an option, there must be a definitive policy for them that finds a practical and humane solution, with forest conservation being the focal agenda.
“There are a couple of instances where we brought them out and settled them on village fringes by leaving them an acre or two of forest lands for cultivation, for lack of revenue lands. Since farmers prefer them as agricultural labourers, this will be a win-win solution, and better than losing hundreds of acres of forests,” suggests a forest official under the condition of anonymity.
Despite the potential for replication across the state, this does not happen for several reasons. One among them is their close association with the police, says the official.
Police use them as informers to know the movement of Maoists in the forests. Hence they do not want them to move out of the woods and refuse to cooperate with the foresters attempting to clear the encroachments.
“Besides, the Gutti Koyas provide unpaid labour to the police in the hope that they would rescue them in the event of raids by foresters. The police do not disappoint them,” says the official.
They also obtained Aadhaar and voter cards from the Revenue officials and claimed their share of the vote bank.
As a highly placed forest officer puts it, “We are losing hope. Unless the trees can vote, the situation will not change. It is society’s responsibility to protect forests, not ours alone.”
