Adilabad: The forest department has continued its land retrieval mission after reclaiming 1,000 acres from cultivators, mainly non‑tribals, at Itikalpahad in Sirpur (T) and raising plantations. The area falls under the Kagaznagar forest division, where tiger movement has been recorded. Officials indicated the mission may be extended to land occupied by tribals in the future.
Forest officials described the Itikalpahad operation as a success, giving them confidence for similar efforts ahead. They said forest land was being cultivated in violation of the Forest Act, and no development activity or government schemes are being permitted in villages located within reserve forest limits.
Officials also stopped the construction of an Indiramma housing unit for beneficiary Durgam Ramesh of Muraliguda. A case was registered against him and he was sent to jail. Ramesh, who belongs to the Scheduled Caste community, holds a Lavanipatta for his land, but forest authorities maintain that the house was constructed inside a reserve forest.
Tiger Corridor plan sparks local opposition
Adilabad: The forest department has issued GO 49, declaring the corridor between the Tadoba Andhari tiger reserve in Maharashtra and the Kawal tiger reserve in Adilabad as the Komaram Bheem conservation reserve. A conservation reserve management committee has also been constituted with former sarpanches of Muraliguda, Kammargam, Karji and Motlaguda gram panchayats in Penchikalpet mandal.
The state government, however, kept GO 49 in abeyance following strong protests from Adivasis and non‑tribals. Officials said the proposal for the reserve had been under consideration for a long time before the notification was issued.
GO 49 covered 1,49,288.48 hectares of tiger corridor area and 339 villages. The forest department had earlier planned to develop Kagaznagar as a satellite core for Kawal to provide safe passage for migrating tigers. The issue was discussed during the BRS rule and was noted by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
Forest officials are not permitting construction in Gundepalli of Kammargam gram panchayat in Penchikalpet mandal. They also obstructed Indiramma housing and road works in Lumbininagar of Thummalaguda gram panchayat in Bejjur mandal.
Konda Ramprasad, sarpanch of Lumbininagar, said the roads and buildings department issued a notice asking the panchayat to stop laying a CC road worth ₹30 lakh on the forest department’s instructions. The funds lapsed due to the delay. He added that even basic facilities at the government school, including toilets, were denied as forest officials stopped development works.
Residents said 60 families have lived in Lumbininagar for 40 years. They received Lavani pattas in 2010, borewells under Indira Jalaprabha in 2012, and three‑phase power supply, but forest officials now claim the village lies in reserve forest. Of 80 farmers, 33 hold Lavani pattas and 42 families have pahanis. Ramprasad said officials are citing 1947 maps to classify the village as reserve forest ‘Mysura’, though podu cultivation began in 1988. He questioned why officials did not raise objections earlier when settlements were receiving state and Central schemes.
Development works are also not being allowed in Papanpet, Siddapur‑Pedda in Bejjur mandal, and Dimda in Chinthalamanepalli mandal.
Revenue pattas clash with Forest claims
Adilabad: The revenue department has issued pattas to non‑tribal cultivators, including BCs and Dalits, but forest officials now claim the same land parcels belong to them. Local residents allege that revenue authorities were not responding to what they called false claims by the forest department. They say a joint survey by both departments is urgently needed to resolve the disputes.
Forest officials have already taken back land cultivated by farmers in Jai Hindpur and raised plantations on it. The land was previously allotted to BC and SC families.
There are strong allegations that forest officials are targeting villages with high SC and BC populations, reclaiming their cultivation land. Farmers say officials are offering 2–3 acres to those cultivating the land while taking the rest for plantations. Forest authorities, however, maintain that they are not obstructing development works in villages formed before 1980.
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