VIJAYAWADA: Environment and Forest Minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy has directed officials concerned to identifying the encroached forest lands across the State. At a meeting with the officials of forest, revenue, survey and settlements departments at his camp office here on Friday, Peddireddy said that large areas of forest lands were encroached upon in Chittoor, Visakhapatnam and some other districts.
He wanted the officials to identify them through the ongoing comprehensive land survey going on in the State. Observing that there is every possibility that those got bogus pattas for the encroached forest lands coming for regularisation of the lands by getting survey number through the land survey, the Minister instructed the officials to thwart such attempts and wanted the Revenue and Forest departments to conduct a joint survey.