Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy of Telangana High Court on Friday directed the State government not to convene meetings of the district coordination committees (DCCs) to confirm rights over Podu lands on long-time cultivators till further orders.
The judge was hearing a writ petition filed by three persons belonging to Scheduled Tribes from Bhadradri Kothagudem district seeking a direction to suspend GO 140 which facilitated inclusion of public representatives in DCCs which oversee disposal of claims over Podu cultivation lands. Initially, the judge was inclined to issue orders to maintain status quo by all parties in the matter.
However, the petitioners’ counsel Chikkudu Prabhakar told the bench that already some DCCs started holding meetings and any decision to be taken by them could adversely affect the persons applying for rights over Podu lands. Mr. Prabhakar cited a media report in which it was reportedly stated that a Minister had said that the government would take a call on the matter depending on its priorities.
Telangana government’s Scheduled Tribes department issued GO 140 on this September 11 stating that DCCs would be constituted with MPs, MLAs, MLCs, and Zilla Parishad chairpersons. These DCCs would dispose the applications filed by long-time cultivators of Podu lands (mostly located in forests or areas abutting forests).
The petitioners belonging to ST from Tadikalapudi village of Tekulapalli mandal — Tejavath Shankar, Bhukya Meetya and Lavudya Anjee — claimed that they had been cultivating Podu lands in forest area admeasuring five acres, four acres and five acres respectively for past several years.
They stated in the plea that their family members were depending on cultivation of these lands for livelihood. They applied to the State government for rights over the said lands under the provisions of Forest Rights Act-2006. Meanwhile, the Central government framed Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Rules-2008.
They contended that State government had no power to include public representatives in the DCCs as already the Centre had framed rules on the matter.
