HYDERABAD: The state government which promised to give ‘pattas’ for podu lands in the state, is expected to give user rights over occupied forest land extending to more than four lakh acres, or a little more than 1,600 sq kilometres of forest land parcels distributed in 26 districts to identified beneficiaries.
According to government data, 1,50,012 claims for podu pattas have been processed and identified as eligible from among the applicants and these beneficiaries will receive the pattas covering a total forest area of 4,05,601 acres, or 1,641 sq km. In all, some 3.5 lakh applications for podu pattas covering around 13 lakh acres were received by district administrations after the government called for fresh applications to be submitted between November 8 and December 8 of 2021.
However, the government found that only 1,50,012 applications were eligible, and sources said the effort has been to restrict the distribution of pattas to mostly tribal claimants. But forest officials are worried that all those who will not receive the pattas once the government starts distributing them from June 24 as decided in the last Cabinet meeting on May 18, may start agitating demanding pattas and create law and order problems.
Though the government said it will issue ‘pattas’, the land will continue to remain with the forest department and beneficiaries will only have user rights under the Recognition of Forest Rights Act of 2006.
The highest number of claims found eligible were from Bhadradri-Kothagudem district where 50,595 applications covering 1,51,195 acres, followed by Mahbubabad with 24972 claims covering 70,434 acres, KB-Asifabad with 15,254 claims covering 44,750 acres, Adilabad with 12,222 claims covering 31,683 acres, Mulugu with 7,413 claims covering 18,869 acres, and Nirmal district with 7,257 claims covering 20,051 acres.
