Forest Range Officer Ch Anitha, who was attacked by a mob in June while performing her duty, has been transferred to a new position in an apparent attempt at damage control by the Telangana government. Several officials of the Forest Department have also been transferred.
The move comes amid simmering tension between forest officials and traditional forest dwellers over the ‘podu land’ controversy.
In June this year, a fight broke out in Sarsala village between officials and forest dwellers in Kagaznagar subdivision of Asifabad district. The brawl was the result of a conflict over a plantation drive taken up by the state government. In the melee, Anita was attacked by a mob with sticks in an incident that was caught on video. The mob was led by TRS leader Koneru Krishna, the brother of Sirpur MLA Koneru Konappa.
Anitha has been transferred to Kadam of Khanapur forest division in Nirmal district. Incidentally, Anitha received a state bravery award from the government of Telangana on Independence Day.
“It’s not the first time an official is being transferred from Kagaznagar. Transfers are a part of my job. I will discharge my duty wherever I go,” Anita told TNM. However, she noted that the mid-year transfer would likely disrupt her children’s education.
District Forest Officer Raja Ramana Reddy has also been transferred. He has been appointed DFO, Vigilance Department in the Principal Chief Conservator’s office.
While Koneru Krishna was arrested and released on bail, the TRS recently reinstated him to his post of Zilla Parishad vice chairman.
Several forest officials in the combined Adilabad district and Bhadradri Kothagudem district have faced the ire of farmers and traditional forest-dwelling communities due to ‘Harita Haram,’ a government sponsored afforestation drive.
The locals claim that they survive on ‘podu’ cultivation, a traditional farming practice of forest dwellers, including adivasis and non-tribal people, and allege that the state went against their interests by undertaking the afforestation drive.
Along with DFO Raja Ramana Reddy and FRO Anitha, a few other forest officials have also been transferred.
The shuffle came less than a month after Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao declared in the Assembly that he was looking into the controversy over ‘podu’ lands.
The CM, during the Assembly session in September, said that he was aware of the forest officials’ ‘wrongdoings’ as a few tried to hamper or take away legitimate tribal lands for compensatory afforestation under the Kaleshwaram project.
While calling the Kagaznagar incident “unfortunate,” he had also assured the House that there will be a ‘Praja darbar’ (People’s meeting) to ascertain what happened.
Human rights groups and adivasi organisations welcomed the transfer of the officials and said that the government should hold the ‘Praja darbar’ across the Scheduled areas to address the pending issues with regard to podu cultivation and the Forests Rights Act.