HYDERABAD: Following the Supreme Court order to evict Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFD), whose claims of land in forest areas under the Recognition of Forest Rights(RoFR) Act have been rejected, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao said a decision on how to proceed on the issue would be taken in June after Lok Sabha elections.
The SC has given time till July 27 to carry out its orders. Speaking in the Assembly, Rao said once the SC gives a judgment, it becomes an order that has to be followed. Tribals whose claims of land under RoFR have been rejected will have to be evicted.
He, however, pointed out that only those Tribals will have to be evicted whose claims have been rejected. Rao said that 5-6 tribal MLAs met with him with representations regarding the issue after the SC judgment.
He said once the Lok Sabha elections are over, he will convene a meeting with all the stakeholders, without any differences of party affiliations, and take a final call on the matter. Rao said that there are close to one lakh claims under RoFR with the government that have to be looked into.
He said that once a decision is taken, the issue of lands under podu cultivation will be resolved forever; no new applications will be accepted and no new habitations will be allowed to come up in forest lands.