HYDERABAD: Trees may have no vote but encouraging chopping of trees in forests can garner votes in Telangana. In various districts of the state, forest officers trying to check encroachment of forests are coming under attack by locals supported by politicians from across the spectrum who are promising regularisation of the encroachment of forest lands.
Ironically, there have been incidents of TRS leaders encouraging encroachment of forest lands by uprooting saplings planted as part of Telangana ku Haritha Haram afforestation programme.
In Amrabad Tiger Reserve, Kothagudem and Paloncha a massive number of 1,05,618 saplings planted under Haritha Haaram have been uprooted to encroach forest lands. PK Jha, principal chief conservator of forests and chief wildlife warden of Telangana, has written a letter recently to the special chief secretary to environment and forests department of the state government complaining about it.
The letter’s first paragraph reveals the situation very clearly, “....due to statements given by Hon’ble Members of Legislative Assembly, Hon’ble Members of Parliament and Hon’ble Ministers including the Hon’ble Minister for Environment, Forests, Science and Technology both in print and electronic media from time to time to the effect that those who had encroached forest lands before the formation of Telangana state will not be evicted, several attempts have been made to encroach the forest lands and obstruct the forest officials from retrieving forest lands and taking up plantations under Telangana ku Haritha Haram.”
The letter also says that forest minister Jogu Ramanna, in a video conference held in June, instructed the field staff not to harass villagers who had encroached forest lands prior to June 2014. The letter further says that such propaganda and promises are encouraging fresh encroachments in different parts of the state so that at a later date encroacher can lay claim on these encroached forest lands.
Imran Siddiqui of Hyderabad Tiger Conservation Society says, “The CM has said repeatedly that no new encroachment after 2005 will be entertained even under the Forest Rights Act but elected representatives are making false promises of regularisation of encroached forest lands for reaping electoral benefits and causing tremendous damage to the existing forest cover and undoing lost forest lands retrieved painstakingly under Haritha Haaram by the forest department.”
Political propaganda takes a toll on forests
Principal chief conservator of forests PK Jha’s letter clearly says that in 2008-09 the then Andhra Pradesh government had created a similar propaganda which led to large-scale destruction of forest lands and encroachment of 23,494 hectares (58,032 acres) of forest.