Forest dept files complaint against TRS MLA for "obstructing"

Telangana forest department officials Monday lodged a complaint against a ruling TRS legislator for allegedly "obstructing" their work, police said.

The MLA, Vanama Venkateswara Rao, has refuted the allegations.

This comes a day after a woman forest official was attacked by some people, allegedly led by the brother of a Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) legislator in KB-Asifabad district over a land issue.

According to a police official, the forest department lodged a complaint against Kothagudem TRS MLA Vanama Venkateswara Rao saying that he along with four or five of his supporters obstructed construction of a wall for protection of forest land near Yellandu town on June 29.

"We have received a complaint today (July 1) against the MLA and others that they were obstructing the forest departments work. We are inquiring into the complaint," the official said.

Refuting the allegations, Venkateswara Rao said he approached the forest department officials on behalf of a group of Adivasis to sort out their land issue.

"The Adivasis have documents supporting their claim that the land is being cultivated by them since 1956. I told the forest department officials that I will request the CM (K Chandrasekhar Rao)tosort out the Adivasis land issue.

I have not threatened anybody and I did not obstruct any work also," he said.

KB-Asifabad police Sunday arrested Sirsilla MLA Koneru Konappas brother Krishna and his followers for allegedly assaulting C Anitha, a woman Forest Range Officer (FRO) in Sarasala village in the district.

Anitha, along with her staff and police, had gone to the village for undertaking tree plantation on a land as part of the governments afforestation programme when she was attacked.