HYDERABAD: In a stern warning to ganja cultivators, chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said on Saturday that government will immediately stop extending benefits like Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bima, free power, etc., for such offenders.
Toughening his stand, the CM said apart from arresting the cultivators and taking a strict legal action, the government would cancel their Recognition of Forest Rights (RoFR) land pattas.
At a review meeting with district collectors, forest and revenue officials on podu land and protection of forest land at Pragati Bhavan on Saturday, KCR said 87 per cent of encroachment of podu land was reported from 12 districts of the state.
Bhadradri Kothagudem, Kumaram Bheem Asifabad, Adilabad, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Kamareddy, Khammam, Nirmal, Warangal, Nalgonda and Nizamabad seen huge encroachments of podu land.
He asked the officials to accept claims on podu land between November 8 and December 8 as promised in the legislative assembly. “The claims should be accepted from tribals doing podu land cultivation. Before November 8, a preparatory meeting will be held.”
KCR asked the officials to constitute village committees as per the RoFR Act. A nodal officer will be appointed for two to three villages and an RDO at the sub-division level and collector at the district level will monitor the process.
The chief minister said a stretch of 10 acres of forest was much more precious than lakhs of trees. “One may plant crores of trees under the social forestry programme but it can never match a forest.” The forest revival programme should be implemented in all the districts on the lines of Gajwel.
Directing the collectors to convene an all-party meeting on the podu land issues and protection of forest land, the CM said there should be a unanimous opinion on extending RoFR to those already doing podu cultivation.
