Forest dept obstructing house constructions: MLA Patel

Khanapur: MLA Vedamma Bojju Patel raised concerns in the Legislative Assembly that forest department officials are obstructing the construction of houses sanctioned for tribal families in her constituency.

On Monday, speaking in the Hyderabad Assembly, he highlighted the difficulties faced by tribals in the Khanapur constituency, which largely falls under the Tiger Zone.

He stated that even when the government sanctions Indiramma houses for tribals, forest officials claim the land belongs to them and prevent tribals from building homes, causing severe hardships.

He further pointed out that in Islamapur, farmers have cultivated cotton on a large scale, but they lack proper road facilities to transport their produce to the market.

He demanded that road connectivity be provided. He also expressed anguish that tribals holding forest rights certificates are being booked and jailed by forest officials when they plough their lands. The MLA stressed that due to these obstructions by the forest department, development in the Khanapur constituency is being stalled.

He urged the government to take immediate action to remove these hurdles. He mentioned that she had already brought these issues to the attention of the Forest Minister and the Adilabad district in-charge minister, but no solution has been reached yet. Hence, he appealed to the government to act swiftly and resolve the problems caused by the forest department.