Minister for Forests Konda Surekha Orders Study on Podu Lands in Protected Areas
HYDERABAD: Forest minister Konda Surekha has asked officials to submit a detailed study on the pros and cons and draft guidelines to end the dispute over podu land in protected forest areas.
At a review meeting held at the Secretariat, Surekha conducted a video conference with district collectors, district forest officers, project officers of ITDA and other officials involved in the disputes and encroachment of forest lands.
Panchayat raj and rural development minister Dansari Anasuya 'Seethakka' also participated in the meeting.
Surekha asked the district collectors to prepare a detailed list on the extent of podu land holdings, the applications received so far for regularisation in different districts and the regularised podu land ownership.
The officials informed her that they had received 6,51,822 applications under individual forest rights (IFR) and 6,69,676 acres of podu land distribution has been completed so far to 2,30,735 pattadar holders.
Under the community forest rights (CFR), the government has received 3,427 applications and 721 applicants have been given patta certificates.
Around 1,024 applications were put on hold due to a number of reasons, the officials explained.
Surekha asked the officials to enter the details of all applicants online and list reasons why every single application was rejected.
Surekha asked the officials to constitute a committee to solve the dispute between the forest land and revenue land. She also asked the officials to review the benefits accrued by non-tribals under the other traditional forest dwellers (OTFD) category.
Legislators Vedma Bojju (Khanapur), Murali Nayak (Mahbubabad), Rakesh Reddy (Armoor), Tellam Venkat Rao (Bhadrachalam) who took part in the video conference explained the problems they had been encountering on the issue of podu land rights, encroachment of forest land, transport issues from the forests.
