Officials fight over cocks

Kurnool: The forest department officials confined the officials of Integrated Tribal Development Agency when they tried to distribute Giriraja and Vanaraja varieties of cocks to the Chenchu families at Pecchervu village in the dense Nallamala forest on Tuesday night.

The ITDA officials brought 900 cocks of Giriraja and Vanaraja variety to distribute to the ninety families of Chenchus in the village. However, they were prevented by the forest officials who illegally confined them till the early hours of Wednesday. The forest officials reportedly told the ITDA officials that at a time they have been asking the Chenchus to relocate themselves from the Nallamala forest, how could the ITDA officials distribute the cocks to them.

The ITDA officials said that as per the government order they brought the 900 vaccinated cocks to distribute to the Chenchus to improve their nutrition. They lamented that they were illegally detained by the forest officials. The Chenchus recalled that the forest officials stopped an ambulance at Rollapenta from entering Nallamala forest when the ambulance came to pick up a pregnant with labour pains three days ago. They were compelled to virtually carry her to the ambulance, they said. They rebuked the highhandedness of assistant conservator of forest Saibaba for his vindictive and inhuman attitude towards Chenchus.

The Chenchu women said that Kurnool District Collector has adopted Chenchugudem for its all-round development, but the forest officials were not caring for the orders of the District Collector. When contacted, the field director of Nagarjuna Sagar Tiger Reserve, Selvam told The Hans India that the ACF, Saibaba did not inform him about the incident.