The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Forest wing gears up to face IInd phase of land struggle

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Saturday, Jan 19, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Forest wing gears up to face IInd phase of land struggle

S. Harpal Singh

Enlists support of police to counter felling of trees by Bhoo Poratam activists

Easy target: Logs of timber felled during the last Bhoo Poratam lying in a forest under Beersaipet range

JANNARAM (ADILABAD DT.): A circumspect forest department has requested assistance of police force to counter the impending second phase of the ‘Bhoo Poratam’ of Left parties in order to save the precious forest. Having lost considerable number of trees in the illegal felling carried out allegedly by activists of Left parties during the ‘struggle for land’, the department is not taking any chance this time around.

At a meeting of members of the ‘ Jangal bachao’ committee of Jannaram forest Division on Friday, the issue was discussed at length by forest staff, animal watchers and villagers.

This Division was worst hit during the first phase of ‘Bhoo Poratam’ with encroachers felling nearly 10,000 teak trees and hundreds of other varieties in about 325 acres in the Kawwal Wild Life sanctuary.

The felled timber was valued at over Rs. 1 crore and over 6,000 persons were said to have been involved in the event.

The ‘Jangal bachao’ committee that was formed after the first phase encroachments put its thrust mainly on causing awareness on forest protection among the sections concerned. The committee comprises of members Vana Samrakshana Samitis (VSS), AKKA, an NGO among others with Jannaram Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) A. Kishan and tribal leader Sidam Shambhu as honorary presidents.

The committee went around with the message of conservation and undertaking towards no forest destruction even from those who had involved themselves earlier in forest decimation. Meanwhile, forest officials pointed out the difficulties they had faced while taking on the challenge of the ‘Bhoo Poratam.’ B. Murali, a field official said the strategy used by the Left party activists earlier was like the game of hide and seek

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