KHAMMAM: Tension prevailed for a few hours at Veerapuram village in Yellandu mandal when tribal farmers obstructed forest officials from undertaking levelling works on their podu lands on Saturday. More than 30 podu cultivators staged a sit-in dharna, obstructing the forest department’s tractors. They demanded that the officials leave the fields immediately.
This is the third incident of podu land dispute in Khammam district in the recent past. Forest officials and police personnel gathered in large numbers soon afterwards and dragged the farmers from the protest site and detained about 20 persons, including 6 women. A heated argument ensued between the police and the agitators.
According to sources, tribal farmers have been cultivating forest lands for the past several years. On Saturday, forest officials came to the village to level the forest lands. Upon learning about this, the farmers rushed to the spot and stopped the works.A series of similar incidents had taken place in Ompugudem and Kotagadda villages where tribals forced forest officials from undertaking works on podu lands.
Speaking of the incident, Yellandu CI K Venu Chander said: “We have taken 20 tribals, including 6 women, into preventive custody and have shifted them to the Yellandu police station. Further action would be initiated as the instructions of higher-ups in the forest department.” Meanwhile, the CPM and CPI (ML) New Democracy leaders condemned the arrest of the tribals. They alleged that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has failed to resolve the concerns of podu cultivators in the State.