Date:09/02/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/02/09/stories/2007020900750200.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Others

`Government taking steps to check forestland encroachment'

Staff Reporter

RIADP official reviews progress of interior areas development works

GIVING A BOOST: M.V.P.C. Sastry, Principal Secretary, Rural and Interior Areas Development Programme, interacting with participants of vocational training programme in Adilabad on Thursday.

ADILABAD: M.V.P.C. Sastry, Principal Secretary, Rural and Interior Areas Development Programme (RIADP), on Thursday said the Government had taken note of forestland encroachments in the agency areas.

All efforts would be made to arrive at an amicable settlement on the issue soon, he said.

The Principal Secretary toured the agency areas on Wednesday. He reviewed the progress under all departments related to the development of interior areas in the district.

Officers appointed

He said the Government had appointed Forest Settlement Officers to address issues related to forestland encroachment.

As many as 246 forest blocks covering over 7.2 lakh hectares had been earmarked for the purpose and 156 blocks had been notified, he added.

Mr. Sastry said stress would be laid on employment generation activities in tribal areas. Unemployed youth would be given training in different areas so that they could take up even self-employment.

Other areas of importance under the RIADP were provision of safe drinking water in interior villages, better medicare and education, he said.

Mr. Sastry interacted with trainees of a vocational training programme undertaken jointly by Indira Kranti Patham and Reddy's Labs Foundation.