Forest babus ‘scapegoats’ in tiger attacks
State govt takes the side of Adivasis, allege forest officials
Forest officials feel the state government has made them “scapegoats” on issue of podu lands being linked to tiger attacks on human beings in Telangana. This is particularly after two persons have been killed recently in separate incidents by tigers in Komaram Bheem Asifabad district.
News is making rounds in official corridors that the state government is trying to shift blame on forest officials and take the side of Adivasis to get credit for pattas to be issued for podu lands soon. This will help TRS advance its prospects during future elections in agency areas, where its influence is dwindling. Some TRS MLAs are already trying to project themselves and TRS government as supporters of Adivasis.
Sources in Forest Department maintain that they have not at all come in the way of government issuing pattas for podu lands, as is being propagated by ruling party legislators. A senior forest officer, on condition of anonymity, said, “It is TRS leaders and MLAs who have spread news linking podu lands issue to tiger attacks.” He regretted that surprisingly neither the state government, nor Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao or forest minister A. Indrakaran Reddy have come to the defence of forest officials, though the latter have contributed immensely to the success of Haritha Haram.
Utnoor ITDA officials are busy conducting a survey to identify physical position of lands for which Adivasis have applied for pattas and establish whether applicants are really cultivating lands in erstwhile Adilabad district. This follows Supreme
Court asking state governments to submit a report on status of forest lands and podu cultivation, apart from issue of pattas for lands under RoFR (Recognition of Forest Rights). TRS MLAs Rega Kantha Rao of Pinapaka and Koneru Konappa of Sirpur (T) have taken the lead in verbally attacking forest officials and blaming them for Adivasis’ agitating against the state government on issue of podu lands and tiger attacks.