Vijayawada: Minister proposes joint survey to confirm forest land boundaries
Minister for Forest and Environment Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy holding a meeting with officials at his camp office in Vijayawada on Friday
Vijayawada: Minister for Forest, Energy, Mines and Environment Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy instructed the Forest officials to identify the encroached forest lands across the State.
He was addressing the officials of the Forest, Revenue and Survey and Settlement departments at his camp office here on Friday.
Referring the Jaganna Bhuhakku-Bhuraksha scheme, he said that after a long time a comprehensive land survey has been undertaken in the State. He suggested to the officials to identify the encroached forest lands during the survey.
Reminding the officials that the forest land should not be given survey numbers as per law, the Minister said that they should be cautious in this regard. Expressing concern over the large-scale encroachment of forest land in Chittoor, Visakhapatnam and other districts, he said that bogus pattas were issued in the name of settlement officers.
The Minister warned the officials to be cautious to the attempts of some people to get survey numbers to the encroached forest lands during the latest land survey. The only solution to solve this problem is that the Revenue and the Forest officials should undertake joint survey. He suggested that a nodal officer could be appointed to solve the disputes regarding forest land and the appeals. It is high time the encroached lands were identified and such pattas should be cancelled.
However, during the Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy regime, eligible Agency people were given ROFR pattas and their rights should not be affected. At the same time, the boundaries of such land should be verified.
The eligible people who have been cultivating in the forest lands before 1972, should be given certificates through Forest settlement officer, the officials informed the minister. However, the certificates should be confirmed by the DFO, they added. The certificates obtained from settlement officers after 1972 are not valid. The officials said that they would take all these issues into consideration during the land survey.
CCLA Sai Prasad, Special Chief Secretary Nirab Kumar Prasad, CCLA secretary A Babu, PCCF Prateep Kumar, Chiranjivi Chowdary, Survey and Settlement commissioner Siddharth Jain were present.