Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Nov 23: Dakshina Kannada district deputy commissioner (DC), Subodh Yadav, directed the officials to take steps to speed up the process of issuing title deeds to the tribals living in forest land since long.

“The government had passed a special act to provide security to the lives of the people who have been living in forest areas since several decades. The officials should understand the underlying desire of the act and hasten the process of distributing title deeds to them,” he said, addressing officials who had participated in a meeting meant to distribute title deeds to tribals, held at the office of the DC here on Monday November 22.

He noted that out of 262 applications received for title deeds, 32 have been disposed off favourably. Out of 230 pending applications, 63 have been marked as relating to buffer land.  The members of the committee concerned should sit together today itself and urgently dispose off the balance 199 applications,” he instructed.

He advised the officials not to take the special law that is specifically meant to provide a sense of security to people living in forests, lightly, and instead, contact the officials concerned in case of doubts, get clarifications on priority, and take a final decision on all pending cases. He said that his main aim is to meet the intentions of the special law, adding that he would speak personally to top forest officials about the buffer land issue.

On the spot, he drafted a model for the procedures to be followed in this connection, and guided the officials to move as per the model. He also asked them to avail of the services of the social welfare department officials towards this end. Puttur sub-divisional officer, Dr Harish Kumar, deputy conservator of forests, Vijayakumar Shetty, and others were present.