The government is conducting a socio-economic survey in the Bhadrachalam forests to find out the status of primitive tribal groups who will be displaced by the Polavaram project. The minister for major irrigation, Mr Ponnala Lakshmaiah, told the Council that that the survey had been concluded in 276 villages. Ten more villages are left to be surveyed. Kondareddis, one of the primitive groups, live in the Bhadrachalam forests. Mr Lakshmaiah was reacting to MLCs who asked the government to explain the status of the primitive tribes. Mr P. Yadagiri (TD) said, advocates who were filing cases on behalf of displaced people were minting money. The minister said land acquisition was done with the consent of the locals and there was no role of advocates. The Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajashekar Reddy said collectors were asked to be liberal while granting compensation to displaced persons.

One reason why state forest department is badly upset with the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006

the impact of biomass extraction on the species diversity of a scrub forest has not been studied adequately in India. A study by the Centre for Wildlife Studies in Bangalore and the Council for

the forest department of Uttarakhand has started ascertaining the population of Van Gujjars in the Rajaji National Park. They started the exercise on July 18, 2007, after the four-week period