Forest curbs stall 3500 tribal homes, MLA voices protest

The issue surrounding the Forest Department’s restrictions in tribal areas remained unresolved despite being brought to the notice of ministers, as Congress MLA Vedma Bhojju Patel raised serious concerns in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday.

The Telangana government had sanctioned Indiramma houses for tribal families living in remote villages of the Khanapur constituency. However, the Forest Department had been preventing construction, citing that these villages fell under the Tiger Zone, thereby halting development works.

Expressing anguish, Patel stated that he had personally informed Forest Minister Konda Surekha and Adilabad district in-charge Minister Jupally Krishna Rao, but no solution had been reached so far.

He highlighted that tribal villages continued to lack basic road connectivity, even though funds had already been sanctioned for infrastructure development.

The MLA pointed out that the problem extended beyond Khanapur and affected several districts, including Adilabad, Nirmal, Mancherial and Asifabad. He noted that nearly 3,500 houses sanctioned for tribal families remained incomplete due to objections raised by forest officials, leaving thousands without proper shelter. Patel also alleged that forest authorities had been using drone cameras for surveillance in tribal areas, which had created discomfort among residents, particularly women in villages near forest zones.

Urging immediate intervention, Patel called for coordination between the Forest and Revenue Departments to resolve the Tiger Zone issue and ensure that welfare schemes for tribal communities were implemented without further delay.