The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Implement circular on tribal lands: BJP

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jul 18, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Implement circular on tribal lands: BJP

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, JULY 17. The BJP has appealed to the State Government to implement a circular issued by the NDA Government to regularise forest land held by tribals up to December 31, 1993, in the present scenario when it has initiated talks with the People's War to ensure peace in the State.

The senior BJP leader and former Union Minister of State, Ch. Vidyasagar Rao, who called on the Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, in this regard on Saturday, later told reporters that Dr. Reddy was informed about the need to settle the issue of land to the tribals for talks with the extremist group to fructify. He had been told that land to tribals was central to the naxalite issue. The BJP had in the past also taken up a campaign on ``land to tiller.''

Mr. Rao said the NDA Government had in February this year issued a circular asking all State Governments to regularise the forest land in possession of tribals with the cut-off date by issuing patta certificates. But, none of the States had taken any steps. Lakhs of acres of land would be transferred to tribals if it was done and the State Government would thus be addressing an important socio-economic aspect of the naxalite problem, he added.

He also said the circular was issued by the Centre following a high-level meeting convened by the former Prime Minister, A.B. Vajpayee, to discuss the issue of rights of tribals on forest land.

Mr. Rao thanked the Chief Minister for giving administrative sanction to the Yellampalli barrage project which would partly address the issue of strengthening the Upper and Lower Manair Dams in Karimnagar Parliamentary constituency represented by him in the last Lok Sabha. He appealed to Dr. Reddy to approve the leather industry park near Karimnagar town which was proposed by him as a Union Minister of State.

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