Large tracts of forest land being retrieved from encroachers in Telangana’s Vikarabad

Tree felling in the forest has been rampant in Vikarabad district, which is the birth place of Musi river and a wildlife and biodiversity haven within 100 kilometres of Telangana capital.

Till recently, raucous protests were held against the VLF Radar station being set up by the Eastern Naval Command in Damagundam reserve forest of Vikarabad. But the removal of trees there pales in comparison with the instances of illegal forest clearance, right under the nose of the Forest Department.

Officials have only recently taken cognisance of the rampant deforestation going on for several years, and are now busy in damage-control exercise.

As per information from sources, close to 200 acres of thick forest have been erased in Pargi range of Vikarabad district alone, mostly by existing farmers who extended into the forest area. As they have been the most recent encroachments, claiming the land back is relatively hassle free.

Sources informed that deforestation in the district gained pace after the Telangana government announced its ‘Podu’ policy around 2022-23. Adjacent to a few villages bordering the neighbouring Karnataka state, entire forest blocks have been allegedly erased with impunity.

Satellite alerts on tree cover changes ignored

Years of satellite alerts about tree cover changes were ignored by the foresters before the encroachments came to light. A report which appeared in The Hindu about encroachment of the balance forest land in Damagundam alerted the authorities, after which the District Forest Officer was transferred, and the charge was given to the District Forest Officer (DFO), Ranga Reddy.

It was during this time that the alerts were taken note of seriously, and field level officials were alerted. About 80 instances of encroachments were noticed, and 20 cases have been booked so far, sources informed. An eight-acre encroachment mentioned in the news report by The Hindu has now been secured, and the violator has been sent to remand.

The encroachment was in the 361-acre block, which was mandated to be fenced off as a precondition for the Stage-II forest clearance for the VLF Station project. The Navy authorities were to take up the fencing work as per the agreement, but could not due to objections and protests by the encroachers. With the hurdles now removed, the officials said they will review the situation and start work soon.

Forest Department officials are looking to use the forest land retrieved from encroachments, for compensatory afforestation in lieu of the land assumed for the VLF project. One of the conditions for the project clearance was compensatory afforestation in 2348 hectares (5,800 acres) of degraded forest land. The work is expected to gain momentum after takeover by newly appointed District Forest Officer Vishal Battula.