Issue guidelines for podu land pattas: Revanth to CM

Hyderabad: Telangana PCC President and MP A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday demanded Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao to take steps for the immediate issuance of guidelines for the allotment of podu land pattas. The Congress leader warned that his party would hold massive protest programmes if the CM does not fulfil his party's demand.

In an open letter to the CM, the TPCC chief alleged that the KCR government failed in solving the problems and the failure of the State government in the allotment of Podu lands to the eligible tribal people was causing frequent rifts between the officials of Forest department and the tribals.

He said the murder of an FRO of the Forest department by a group of the tribals in Pokalagudem village of Chandrugoda mandal was the result of the rifts. He termed the death of the FRO as State sponsored murder and added that KCR should take up the responsibility for the same.

Revanth alleged that the officials of the State government were wasting time since the last eight years by not fulfilling the promise of allotting land pattas over the podu lands to the tribals and alleged that the State government was acting as a mute spectator by inciting the officials of the Forest department against the tribals and the Forest department officials and tribals have been fighting with each other ever since the Telangana State was formed. He alleged that the State government had filed criminal cases against the tribals of the State.

The Congress leader said that the CM was not concerned about the podu land problems and demanded to extend Rythu Bandhu and Rythu Bhima benefits to the tribals of the State.

Pointing out the CM constituted a committee under the chairpersonship of Minister Satyavati Rathod on September 16 last year, he said the committee had not submitted its report even after 14 months of its constitution. He demanded that the CM to pay Rs 5 crore as ex gratia to the bereaved family members of FRO Srinivasa Rao.