The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : End tribal land row, says CPI(M)

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 10, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

End tribal land row, says CPI(M)

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, JULY 9. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has urged the Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, to constitute a high-power committee to find a permanent solution to the long-pending dispute between tribals and non-tribals over occupation of land in the agency areas of West Godavari district.

A party delegation, led by its State secretary, B.V. Raghavulu, called on Dr. Reddy today and suggested that the committee be mandated to identify the disputed land on the basis of the 1920 Settlement Records and determine rightful owners. It must be asked to submit report within six months. The party floor leader in the Assembly, N. Narasimhaiah, and M.A. Gafoor were present.

Mr. Raghavulu told reporters later said they had also requested the Chief Minister to issue orders to maintain status quo on the disputed lands so as to ensure that non-tribals did not encroach upon the lands under tribals' occupation and vice-versa. Unless this was done, disputes would flare up in 15 villages in four mandals as the agricultural season had begun.

He pointed out that the issue of restoring land to tribals had been simmering for a long time but previous Governments had not made a concerted attempt to come up with a solution. Dr. Reddy should initiate concrete measures to resolve the problem before his upcoming `Rajiv Palle Bata' programme of West Godavari on July 11.

The delegation also submitted to the Chief Minister a memorandum to shift immediately six municipal slaughterhouses to city outskirts. The slaughterhouses were closed on December 31, 2003, following the orders of the Andhra Pradesh High Court on a petition that they were causing pollution.

Mr. Raghavulu said the closure had led to unemployment of 30 families. The Government should lose no time in constructing modern slaughterhouses outside city limits, he observed.

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