Village committees crucial for podu land resolution, stresses Telangana Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar
HYDERABAD: To monitor the Podu land surrender, the Chief Secretary, Somesh Kumar held a review meeting with all concerned departments and officials.At the meeting he stressed on setting up forest rights committees with sarpanch and panchayat secretary and public representatives in it, before the applications for the surrender of podu lands are accepted. These committees were tasked with an awareness drive on the issue and how the handover process works.
The CS has also asked for special officers to be appointed in districts where the issue of podu lands is more widespread and asked for better execution.Meanwhile, forest officials have also ordered for the collection of beedi leaves will start from the month of November by the forest department. On Tuesday, the officials met members of the Beedi Leaf Association at Aranya Bhavan to discuss collection arrangements for next season’s tunica. A total of 242 units will be set up. The allocation of these collection units will be done through online auction and the collection will be allowed only in protected forests and will assist in the prevention of fire hazards.