Hyderabad: Forest officials foiled an attempt by non-tribal farmers to sow seeds in a reserve forest near Surdapur village in Kerameri mandal of Kumram Bheem Asifabad district on Tuesday, June 16, triggering a confrontation in which the farmers allegedly pelted stones at a forest department jeep.
The stand-off occurred in compartment number 67, a 450-acre tract falling under the Devudupally beat, where the Forest Department has been asserting its claim over roughly 100 hectare of land.
The farmers were attempting to begin sowing for the Kharif 2026 season when forest officials moved in, prompting the confrontation. Police were called in to bring the situation under control.
Forest Range Officer Azharuddin Ahmed said the land in question was unambiguously reserve forest. He noted that a section of non-tribal farmers had been cultivating portions of the land for the past 35 to 40 years, and that the department had been working to reclaim it and plant saplings to improve green cover in the area.
Ahmed added that none of the farmers cultivating the land held Recognition of Forest Rights (RoFR) pattas, the legal entitlements that would establish their right to use forest land. “It is pakka reserve forest,” he said.
Following the escalation, both sides agreed to maintain status quo until a fresh survey is conducted to determine whether the disputed land falls under the jurisdiction of the forest department or the revenue department.
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