Podu pattas: Govt Silent on Letter from CEC

Hyderabad: Even as the Telangana government is reportedly gearing up to begin the distribution of podu land pattas from June 24, it is learnt that the state is yet to respond to a letter from the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) over the process.

The CEC asked the state to ensure that no one who does not qualify under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) (ROFR) Act, 2006, does not get lands without necessary permissions.

On Thursday, the Telangana High Court, heard two PILs challenging the government's decision to issue pattas to applicants who sought land-use rights on forest land after the government called for fresh applications in 2021, giving time for the government to file fresh counters within four weeks.  

Though the court continues to hear the matter, in the absence of a directive to stop the proposed podu patta distribution plan, the government is learnt to have decided to go ahead with the exercise.  

In its letter to the Chief Secretary and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), the CEC had made it clear that if the state wants to give pattas to anyone who does not qualify, it must do so only after obtaining permission under the provisions of the Forest Conservation Act.  

The government has been preparing to issue pattas for 1,50,012 claims covering a forest area of 4,05,601 acres. In all, around 3.5 lakh applications, covering around 11.5 lakh acres of forest land, were received after the government called for fresh applications between November 8 and December 8 of 2021.

Meanwhile, sources said that forest department officials were asked to review the rejected applications to ensure that anyone eligible for the pattas is not left out. They said that the final tally of the number of pattas could be higher than the 1,50,012 claims, with officials in several districts revising lists of beneficiaries after reviewing the rejected claims.

Sources said that currently, pattas will be issued only to tribals, which, they said, has forest department officials worried over the fall-out in the form of protests by non-tribal applicants.  

The sources said officials are worried that they may not find political support if they take steps to protect forest areas, especially in an election year with all political parties clamouring for the issue of podu pattas.