Illegal occupation of forest land goes on unabated

HYDERABAD: Increasingly belligerent acts of occupying forest areas in Telangana in the guise of podu cultivation appear to be becoming the order of the day, particularly in the Kawal Tiger Reserve spread over Mancherial, Adilabad, Nirmal, and Komaram Bheem Asifabad districts. There is a lot of confusion over the government promise of giving rights to occupied forest land, and also that of a promise to give three acres of land to landless Scheduled Caste women in the state, a forest department official explained. The official said the land under dispute was never cultivated by anyone and those occupying the land had left behind women and children in the forest as they believed that once they left the land, then the department would immediately take possession and continue with its moisture conservation work and tree planting. Vinod Kumar met top forest department officials to discuss the issue, the issue began with some villagers clearing 25 acres of forest of trees and shrubs, despite the fact that podu agriculture was never practiced in the area. The release quoted Vinod Kumar as saying those seeking to occupy the forest land were placing women and children in the front to carry on the illegal occupation.