Criminal cases under Preventive Detention Act would be filed against encroachers of forest lands and also anyone supporting these illegal occupations, warned Minister for forests, environment and technology P Ramachandra Reddy on Monday.
Speaking after a high-level review meeting on conservation of forests at the secretariat, Ramachandra Reddy pointed out that the tribals living and cultivating forest land for decades had been allotted land titles as per the Recognition of Forest Rights Act, 2006, but the government had received complaints that some unscrupulous persons had misused the act to encroach forest lands.
Reddy said that the government would file criminal cases against those encroachers. The minister revealed that he would also point out the need to make suitable amendment to the existing laws to punish the land grabbers. He added that necessary steps would be taken for the conservation and protection of forests.
The minister also emphasised on the necessity of improving awareness levels among the Vana Samrakshana Samithi (VSS) members and also among people living on the periphery of forests of the need to curb encroaching of forests lands.
Courtesy: INN
filed in:Forestry, Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, Law & Order