The tribes of Gudisa grassland and the Forest Department are at loggerheads over throwing open Andhra Pradesh’s only grassland destination for tourists in the Maredumilli forest cover in Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) district.
Spread over hundreds of acres, the grassland on the Gudisa hill range is inhibited by the tribes of Konda Reddi, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), and Valmiki. The grassland is located nearly 40 km from Maredumilli.
Early this year, the Forest Department had banned entry into the grassland citing unregulated tourism activities, including night stay that poses a threat to the unique grassland ecosystem and the tribes.
In the recent years, the grassland had become South India’s preferred hill destination for tourism and film shootings.
Addressing the media on August 18 (Thursday), Pullangi sarpanch V. George Babu had said, “A resolution has been passed in the grama sabha to open the Gudisa (grassland) for tourism from Friday (August 19). The panchayat will regulate the tourism activities in the grassland and collects the revenue.”
“We will not consider the decision taken at the Pullangi grama sabha. We have not received any communication on the Gudisa tourism activities from the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) and the Forest Department,” Rampachodavaram ASP Krishnakanth Patil told The Hindu.
Police warning
In an official release, the Maredumilli police warned that non-bailable cases would be registered against those who collect fee from the tourists seeking entry into the Gudisa grassland. Vehicles proceeding towards Guidsa would also be seized, they added.
“The Guidsa grassland is a Reserve Forest. We have a proposal to throw the grassland open for tourism with all regulations as per the existing conservation measures. Tourism should be promoted as per the State government’s community-based eco-tourism model,” District Forest Officer (Territorial-Kakinada) I.K.V. Raju told The Hindu.
‘It’s a Reserve Forest’
“The Pullangi panchayat cannot regulate, or operate tourism activities on its own in the Gudisa as it is a Reserve Forest. However, the panchayat is entitled to have some share in the revenue generated from the tourist destination,” added Mr. Raju.
The Forest Department could not come up with any concrete proposal to explore the tourism potential of the grassland and regulate tourism till date, forcing the the tribes to operate tourism activities on their own.
