KCR’s promise to tribals drifts into oblivion?

HYDERABAD: It has been nearly three years now since Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao turned his assurance, of going to the tribal areas and districts to resolve the land issues, into action.

​Till date, the tribals are facing a number of problems with forest officials and are unable to use their land for farming. Frustrated, they recently burnt an earthmover engaged by the officials to dig trenches in the forest areas of Bhadradri-Kothagudem district. 

But the question that defies answer is will Rao ever visit the Agency areas and resolve their problems? Tribal Welfare Minister Satyavathi Rathod on Saturday said he would, but after the Budget session of the Legislature.

“The Chief Minister will visit the Agency areas and resolve the Podu land problems,” Rathod said at the MLC election meeting at Kothaguda in Narsampet. 

She alleged that some officials had been acting against the tribals and bringing bad name to the government.

“I assure you that I will bring the Chief Minister to the Agency areas and see to it that your problems are resolved,” the Minister said. Rathod even assured them that the government would give pattas to Podu lands and implement Rythu Bandhu for tribals. 

Lok Sabha member Maloth Kavitha said the government had already instructed the officials not to dig trenches in forest areas and not create problems for tribals. Yet, the officials have been acting against the orders, she said, adding that the locals would revolt against them. MLA Peddi Sudharshan Reddy assured the tribals that he would support them if the officials dig trenches. “If they take back even one inch of tribal land, I will support the tribals and I am prepared to even go to jail,” he said. 

Notwithstanding these assertions, the tribals are frequently facing problems with the officials. In erstwhile Adilabad district alone, over 19,600 applications for rights over Podu land are pending with the officials. Similarly, thousands of applications are gathering dust in other tribal areas across Telangana. 

In the past, several Congress MLAs, representing the tribal areas, had defected to the ruling TRS with a hope that the government would give a permanent solution to the land problems. However, it is to be seen if resolving the problems of Podu cultivation merely remains as an election promise or if the tribals will find a lasting solution to their problems.

District visits

The Chief Minister had announced several times in the past that he would tour all the districts and interact with the people. But he has not done so in the last two years, except for attending some official programmes at a few districts.