Nara Lokesh assures rights on forest lands to tribals

Kalluru(Nellore district): TDP national general secretary Nara Lokesh assured that his party will surely denotify the forest lands, and hand it over to tribals who were cultivating them.

The TDP leader interacted with the tribals at Kalluru camp site in Venkatagiri constituency on Saturday as part of his Yuva Galam padayatra.

He recalled that it was the TDP government which had given the lands to Girijans with full enjoyment rights in the interest of transforming them as land owners.

He remarked that after YSRCP came to power it has taken back that lands at some places in the name of forest lands because of which most of Girijans lost the livelihood.

He criticised the YSRCP government for abolishing several welfare schemes meant for tribals including restricting them from venturing into fishing tanks with GO No 217. He recalled that TDP accorded panchayat status to every habitation with a 500 tribal population by setting up Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) and those villages were developed with infrastructure facilities like roads, drinking water under SC, ST Sub-Plan.

He alleged that instead of continuing the development, the YSRCP government had diluted the SC ST Sub-Plan by diverting its funds to other purposes.

Lokesh assured that he will take the responsibility of constructing pucca houses to the tribals and community buildings and burial grounds would be arranged as per rules.

Venkatagiri former MLA Kurukonda Ramakrishna and others were present.