Khammam: Tension prevailed at Regallapadu village in Sattupalli mandal in Khammam district on Thursday when local tribals entered into an altercation with forest officials over podu land issue. Even a scuffle ensued as the officials did not budge.

It is learnt that around 20 tribal families have been cultivating cotton and other crops in 40 acres for last 30 years and the forest department is now seeking to take over it, claiming that it belong to it. The forest officials stopped tribals from ploughing cotton seeds.

Speaking to the media, the angry tribals said the forest staff were deliberately causing troubles to them. They claimed that they had been tilling the lands for 30 years and suddenly the forest officials descended on their land to seize it from them. They pointed out that Chief Minster K Chandrashekar Rao had promised to them give the pattas for their lands in the election. Forest Range Officer A Venkateswrlu informed that the tribals who entered the reserved forest area for cultivation was stopped by the forest staff. The department gave notices to them on the land issues, but they did not respond to the notices. A case was registered against them and an investigation was underway, he added.

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