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Edited by
Updated by
Published on
October 15, 2016
October 15, 2016
Updated on
October 15, 2016
Over the past few years, tribespeople in Khammam district have been at war with the state's forest department for attempting to forcibly take over their podu lands. Several thousand tribal households have been traditionally practising "podu" (slash and burn or swidden) cultivation in roughly 250,000 acres. However, as of July 2020, land titles had been distributed to only 93,639 of the 1,86,679 claims received by the government. The conflict is rooted in Telangana's flagship afforestation programme, Haritha Haram (Green Garland), under which the state government aims to plant 230 crore saplings across the state to increase its forest cover from 24 per cent to 33 per cent. However, of the 66 lakh acres of the state's forestland, 18 lakh acres do not have proper ownership records, creating substantial confusion and conflict about whether the earmarked land belongs to the tribespeople or the forest department. The confusion over the ownership of lands has been capitalised by political parties and has resulted in several ambiguous decisions. In July 2019, a woman forest officer was brutally attacked by a mob, allegedly belonging to the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi that has championed Haritha Haram. A year later, in June 2020, 14 Adivasis were beaten up and booked under several criminal sections for obstructing forest officers from doing their work. Moreover, the forest department, with the help of police personnel, has also reportedly been resorting to strongarm tactics like destruction of standing crops, threats, filing false cases against several tribespeople and also using physical force. In February 2021, hundreds of tribespeople joined Leftist parties to protest against the implementation of the programme on their podu lands. There has also been a suicide attempt by a tribal woman in protest of the acquisition of her land. The conflict has been stirring up arguments and counter arguments from either side without an end. While there are numerous claims from the tribal community alleging that they have documents to prove legal land ownership, forest authorities claim that these lands lie elsewhere, away from the area where the programme is being implemented. In a nutshell, the conflict boils down to the tribespeople 'encroaching' upon 200 acres of forest department land that is necessary for Haritha Haram.
Refusal to give up land for the project
Complaint against procedural violations
Demand for legal recognition of land rights
Rural
Common
Forest
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
3350
Type of investment:
Cost of Project
Year of Estimation
Page Number In Investment Document:
Has the Conflict Ended?
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Forest and Scheduled Area Governance Laws
Legislations/Policies Involved
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Non-implementation/violation of FRA
Non-implmentation/violation of PESA
Forced evictions/dispossession of land
Lack of legal protection over land rights
Scheduled Tribe status or lack of status
Legal Status:
In Court
Status of Case In Court
Pending
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
Supreme Court of India; High Court for the State of Telangana
Case Number
Writ Petition (Civil) No. 109/2008
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Arrest/detention/imprisonment
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
Reported Details of the Violation:
14 Adivasis were beaten up and booked under several criminal sections for obstructing forest officers from doing their work.
Date of Violation
June 21, 2020
Location of Violation
Khammam District
Nature of Protest
Protests/marches
Self-immolation
Riots
Objections as part of official procedures
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Telangana Forest Department, Telangana Revenue Department
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
Communist Party of India (Marxist), Telangana Rashtra Samithi
Image Credit:
Image Credit: