Mahabubnagar: Collector S Venkat Rao holds Podu land review meeting

Mahabubnagar: The district administration of Mahabubnagar conducted a review meeting on the issue of Podu land cultivation by some people and sought to take up more awareness on the issue at the village and hamlet levels.

The district Collector S Venkat Rao said that the district administration apart from conducting awareness on the Podu (fallow forest lands being cultivated by tribals) lands among the villagers from November 8th, the authorities are also seeking claims from the people for their rights on the Podu lands in the district.

While taking part in a review meeting with the officials on the Podu land issue, the Collector informed that already initiatives are being taken up to identify all the eligible Podu land cultivators in some of the Gram Panchayat and remote Hamlets and accordingly awareness programmes are being taken up. "The concern revenue and forest officials are visiting the hamlets and villages and conducting Grama Sabhas and they are so far have identified the issue for granting rights under the ROFR to those who are eligible to cultivate forest lands," informed the Collector.

During the review meeting, the district Collector also scrutinized the details of Podu lands with the Tahasildar and inquired into the details of the beneficiaries and their claims.

Additional Collector of Revenue K Sitharamarao, DFO Gangareddy, District Panchayat Officer Venkateshwarlu, DTDO Chatru and others took part in the meeting with the Collector.