RTI for Telangana Forest Department — Amrabad Tiger Reserve, Forest Land, FRA Rights and CAMPA Fund Records

The Telangana Forest Department is responsible for managing one of peninsular India's most ecologically significant forest landscapes — from the vast tiger-bearing Nallamala Hills in the south to the Godavari basin's dense mixed forests in the north. The state, carved out of undivided Andhra Pradesh on 2 June 2014, inherited a rich forest estate that includes Amrabad Tiger Reserve, the largest tiger reserve in South India by area, the shared Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve landscape, the urban biodiversity hotspot of KBR National Park in Hyderabad, and several important wildlife sanctuaries in the Godavari basin.

For citizens, tribal communities, environmental researchers, forest-adjacent villagers, and activists, the Right to Information Act, 2005 provides a legally enforceable mechanism to obtain records from the Telangana Forest Department about tiger census data, forest encroachment action-taken reports (ATRs), Forest Rights Act 2006 tribal claim status, CAMPA fund utilisation, wildlife crime ATRs, and eco-sensitive zone compliance — all of which the department is legally obligated to disclose unless a specific statutory exemption applies.

This guide explains what records are available, which offices to approach, how to file RTI applications, and — critically — how the appeals process works, including the fact that second appeals in Telangana go to the Telangana State Information Commission (TSIC) and never to the Central Information Commission (CIC).

Telangana's Forest Profile After the 2014 Bifurcation

When the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 divided undivided Andhra Pradesh into two successor states, the forest territories were apportioned along the new state boundaries. Telangana received:

• The Nallamala Hills forests across Nagarkurnool, Nalgonda, and adjoining districts — now constituting the core and buffer zones of Amrabad Tiger Reserve
• The Telangana portion of the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve landscape — a transboundary landscape that spans both states, with each state's portion managed independently
• The Godavari basin forests, including Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary (Mulugu district), Pranahita Wildlife Sanctuary (Kumuram Bheem Asifabad district), and Pakhal Wildlife Sanctuary (Warangal district)
• KBR National Park (Kasu Brahmananda Reddy National Park) — approximately 142 hectares of urban forest within Hyderabad city limits, a rare example of a nationally protected area inside a major metropolitan boundary

The Telangana Forest Department is headquartered at Aranya Bhawan, Hyderabad, under the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF). Field operations are managed by a hierarchy of Chief Conservators of Forests (CCFs), Conservators of Forests (CFs), Divisional Forest Officers (DFOs), Range Forest Officers (RFOs), and Beat Forest Officers (BFOs).

Post-bifurcation institutional separation: The Telangana Forest Department and the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department are entirely separate state departments with no administrative overlap. Information about Telangana forests must be sought from Telangana's department; information about AP forests must be sought from AP's department. This separation is complete and extends to RTI jurisdiction: the TSIC handles appeals for Telangana, while the AP State Information Commission handles appeals for AP.

Amrabad Tiger Reserve — The Nallamala Tiger Landscape

Amrabad Tiger Reserve covers over 2,600 square kilometres across Nagarkurnool and Nalgonda districts in the Nallamala Hills — making it the largest tiger reserve in South India by area. It was formally notified as Telangana's own tiger reserve in 2014, carved from the portion of the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve that fell within Telangana's boundaries post-bifurcation. The reserve is home to tigers, leopards, Indian wild dogs (dholes), sloth bears, wolves, mugger crocodiles, and rich populations of herbivores including sambar, chital, and nilgai.

The Nallamala Hills are also home to Chenchu tribal communities — one of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) of Telangana — whose Forest Rights Act claims within the tiger reserve involve complex considerations around coexistence and resettlement.

RTI Records Available for Amrabad Tiger Reserve

RTI applications addressed to the CPIO, Field Director, Amrabad Tiger Reserve or the CPIO, DFO, Amrabad Tiger Reserve Division can yield:

Tiger and wildlife census data: The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) conduct All India Tiger Estimation exercises every four years. The Telangana Forest Department compiles divisional data contributing to this exercise, and maintains its own internal annual wildlife estimation data. RTI can obtain the tiger population estimates for Amrabad TR for available years, phase-wise data from camera trap surveys, and the methodology used for population estimation.

Tiger mortality and conflict incident records: Every tiger death — whether by poaching, territorial fight, road or rail accident, natural causes, or electrocution — must be reported and an action-taken report prepared. RTI can obtain the number of tiger deaths in a given period, the cause of death attributed for each incident, the date and location within the reserve, the FIR number if poaching was suspected, the outcome of the investigation, and whether compensation was paid to any affected community. These records are not confidential and must be disclosed.

Anti-poaching operations and patrol records: Aggregate data about anti-poaching patrol coverage, the number of forest guards deployed, patrol routes covered, and the number of poaching-related FIRs registered in a year are legitimate public records. The CPIO cannot withhold aggregate patrol statistics on the grounds that they might reveal patrol gaps — this would be an impermissible extension of Section 8 exemptions.

Eco-sensitive zone status: Amrabad TR is required to have an eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) notified under the Environment Protection Act, 1986. RTI can obtain the current notification status, the extent of the proposed or notified ESZ, any complaints received about activities within the ESZ, and compliance or violation records.

Forest Land Encroachments and ATRs

Forest encroachment — the illegal occupation of reserve forest, protected forest, or wildlife sanctuary land for agriculture, construction, or commercial purposes — is a persistent challenge across Telangana's forest divisions. The Forest Department is mandated to detect encroachments, remove them, and restore the forest land. These processes generate extensive records that are accessible under RTI.

What RTI Can Obtain on Forest Encroachments

From the CPIO of the relevant Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) or Range Forest Officer (RFO) office:

• The encroachment register: The list of detected encroachments in a given range or division, including survey numbers or forest compartment numbers of the encroached land, the extent (in hectares or acres), and the year of detection
• Identity and category of encroachers: Whether the encroacher is an individual occupant, a commercial entity, an institutional body, or involves governmental land assignment or regularisation — information relevant to understanding whether encroachment is by marginalised tribal families or by powerful commercial interests
• Action-taken report (ATR): Steps taken under the Karnataka — or relevant state — Forest Act, the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, and wildlife protection laws. Whether a notice was served, whether eviction proceedings were initiated, whether a FIR was registered under the Indian Forest Act, 1927 or the Forest Conservation Act, and the current status of each case
• Court orders or stay injunctions: Whether any encroachment eviction order has been stayed by a court, and the nature of the court proceedings
• Regularisation of encroachments: Whether any encroachments were regularised under state government schemes, and the legal authority and criteria applied for such regularisation — including whether proper FCA clearance was obtained for regularising forest land

Forest Rights Act, 2006 — Tribal Claims in Telangana

The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 is among the most significant pieces of legislation affecting forest-dwelling communities in India. In Telangana, the FRA is of acute importance in districts with large Scheduled Tribe populations and extensive forest land: Bhadradri Kothagudem, Mulugu, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, and Kumuram Bheem Asifabad have high concentrations of tribal communities — Koyas, Gonds, Lambadas, Kolams, and Chenchus — many of whom have filed claims for individual forest rights (IFRs) and community forest rights (CFRs) under the FRA.

The Three-Tier FRA Process

Claims under the FRA pass through three levels of authority:

1. Gram Sabha: Verifies and recommends claims at the village level
2. Sub-Divisional Level Committee (SDLC): Examines and approves or rejects claims, with the Sub-Collector as Chairperson and the DFO as a member
3. District Level Committee (DLC): Final authority for recognition and vesting, chaired by the District Collector

Rejected claims can be appealed to the State Level Monitoring Committee (SLMC).

What RTI Can Reveal About FRA Implementation

RTI applications addressed to the District Collector (who chairs the DLC) or the DFO (as SDLC member) can yield:

• The total number of IFR and CFR claims filed in each mandal and district, and the date range during which they were filed
• The number of claims at each stage — Gram Sabha stage, pending at SDLC, disposed of by DLC (recognised or rejected), and pending at SLMC
• The number of FRA titles (pattas) issued — both individual pattas under Section 3(1)(a) and community rights pattas under Section 3(1)(b)–(i) — and the total forest land area over which rights have been vested
• The number of rejected claims and the reasons for rejection — under the FRA Rules, reasons must be stated in writing and communicated to the claimant; RTI can be used to obtain the reasons assigned for a specific claim's rejection
• Whether the SLMC has reviewed any rejections and the outcome of those reviews
• Whether the FRA process has been completed in mandals within the critical wildlife corridors of Amrabad TR — where Chenchu communities' FRA rights intersect with tiger reserve management

The FRA process records are maintained jointly by the Revenue Department and the Forest Department (as SDLC members). A comprehensive RTI strategy may require filing applications with both departments.

CAMPA Fund — Compensatory Afforestation Accountability

The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016 and the CAMPA mechanism are designed to ensure that forest land diverted for development projects is compensated by equivalent afforestation and conservation investment. The Telangana Forest Department receives substantial CAMPA funds annually from the national CAMPA authority based on its Annual Plan of Operations (APO), and is responsible for executing approved works and submitting utilisation certificates.

RTI Records Available on CAMPA

• Annual Plan of Operations (APO): The approved work plan for a given financial year, showing which afforestation and conservation works were approved, the budget allocated for each activity and division, and the NTCA or national CAMPA's approval of the APO
• Funds received and released: The total CAMPA funds received from the national authority, the date of release, and the division-wise allocation
• Utilisation and expenditure: Division-wise actual expenditure against sanctioned amounts, the specific works executed (plantation blocks, water-body creation, anti-poaching camps, watch towers, wildlife corridors), quantities achieved versus targets
• Utilisation certificates: Whether utilisation certificates were submitted to the national CAMPA authority within the prescribed time, and any observations from the national authority on fund utilisation
• Audit reports: Observations by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) or internal audit on CAMPA fund expenditure irregularities, un-spent balances, or works not completed

CAMPA funds are public money intended for ecological restoration. Their misuse or underutilisation has direct environmental consequences. None of this information is commercial-in-confidence or exempt from disclosure under the RTI Act.

KBR National Park — Urban Forest and Eco-Sensitive Zone

KBR National Park (Kasu Brahmananda Reddy National Park) is one of the few national parks located entirely within the limits of a major Indian city. Spread over approximately 142 hectares in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, it is surrounded by high-value real estate and is under significant pressure from encroachment, illegal construction on its periphery, and boundary disputes.

RTI Records for KBR NP

• Eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) notification status: RTI can obtain copies of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) ESZ notification for KBR NP (or the latest draft if the final notification is pending), the area proposed for ESZ designation, and any objections received during the public consultation process
• Boundary demarcation records: The demarcated boundary of the national park, including GPS coordinates of boundary pillars, and whether any boundary pillars have been moved or disputed
• Encroachment and illegal construction complaints: Complaints received by the DFO or the Forest Range Officer about encroachment or construction adjacent to or within KBR NP, the action-taken reports, and whether FIRs were registered under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 or the Forest Conservation Act, 1980
• Court proceedings: Whether any stay order or court direction currently governs eviction or construction activities in the ESZ or adjacent areas

Wildlife Crime — Poaching ATRs Under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972

Telangana's protected areas harbour Schedule I species — tiger, leopard, elephant, Indian wild dog, crocodile, pangolin, and others — which are afforded the highest legal protection under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Wildlife crimes involving these species — poaching, illegal trade in body parts, habitat destruction — generate records that can be accessed through RTI.

What RTI Can Obtain on Wildlife Crime

From the CPIO of the relevant DFO or the PCCF (Wildlife), Telangana:

• The number of wildlife crime FIRs registered in a given protected area or division during a specified period, the species involved, the FIR number, and the police station or forest department authority before which it was registered
• Whether accused persons were arrested and, if so, whether they were charge-sheeted and prosecuted before the designated court
• The current stage of prosecution and whether any convictions were obtained — a key accountability metric for wildlife protection effectiveness
• Aggregate statistics on wildlife crimes across Telangana for a given year, classified by species and protected area
• Any inter-state or multi-agency coordination (with Andhra Pradesh, the Central Bureau of Investigation, or NTCA) in connection with wildlife crime cases originating in Telangana's forests

How to File an RTI with the Telangana Forest Department

Identifying the Right CPIO

Because the Forest Department is structured hierarchically, the correct CPIO depends on the level of information sought:

• For division-level records (encroachment cases, FRA claims in a specific range, incident reports for a specific protected area): Address the RTI to the CPIO, DFO, Relevant Division — for example, CPIO, DFO, Amrabad Tiger Reserve Division; CPIO, DFO, Eturnagaram Wildlife Division; or CPIO, DFO, KBR National Park
• For state-level aggregate records (statewide CAMPA utilisation, total FRA titles issued, annual wildlife crime statistics): Address the RTI to the CPIO, Office of PCCF (Principal Chief Conservator of Forests), Aranya Bhawan, Hyderabad, Telangana
• For NTCA-related tiger reserve data (national-level data about Amrabad TR submitted to NTCA): This would be a separate application to the CPIO, NTCA, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, New Delhi — a Central Government public authority subject to CIC jurisdiction, not TSIC

Online Filing

File at rtionline.gov.in, select Telangana state public authorities, identify the relevant Forest Department office, and complete the online form. Pay the ₹10 fee online. Retain the registration number. Telangana may also operate its own state RTI portal — verify on the official state government website.

By Post

Draft the application on plain paper addressed to the relevant CPIO. State explicitly that it is filed under Section 6 of the RTI Act, 2005. Attach a ₹10 Indian Postal Order (IPO) drawn in favour of the CPIO. Send by registered post with acknowledgement due and retain both the postal receipt and the returned acknowledgement card as proof of delivery.

In Person

Submit the application at the DFO's office or the PCCF office during working hours. Carry two copies — submit one with the ₹10 fee and retain the second with a date stamp and the signature of the receiving official as acknowledgement.

Fee and Response Timeline

Application fee: ₹10 under the RTI (Regulation of Fee and Cost) Rules, 2005. Citizens holding a BPL card are exempt from all fees under Section 7(5) of the RTI Act — attach a photocopy of the BPL card and explicitly claim the exemption in the application.

Response deadline: The CPIO must respond within 30 days of receipt under Section 7(1) of the RTI Act, 2005. Where the information sought directly concerns the life or liberty of a person — for example, a matter involving illegal detention or a threat to the physical safety of a forest official or tribal community member — the response is due within 48 hours under the Section 7(1) proviso.

First Appeal — Section 19(1)

If the CPIO of the relevant forest office fails to respond within 30 days, provides an evasive or incomplete reply, wrongly invokes an exemption, or demands an unreasonable fee for furnishing documents, file a First Appeal under Section 19(1) of the RTI Act with the First Appellate Authority (FAA) — a senior officer of the Forest Department designated above the CPIO. Typically, this is the Conservator of Forests (CF) or the Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) of the relevant circle.

Time limit: The First Appeal must be filed within 30 days of the date of the CPIO's decision or the expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable. No fee is payable for the First Appeal. Attach copies of the original application, postal receipts, and the CPIO's response (or a note confirming non-receipt of any response), and state precisely why the response is inadequate.

Second Appeal to TSIC — Section 19(3)

If the First Appeal is not decided within time or the outcome remains unsatisfactory, file a Second Appeal under Section 19(3) of the RTI Act with the Telangana State Information Commission (TSIC) — the independent statutory body constituted under Section 15 of the RTI Act, 2005 with jurisdiction over all Telangana state public authorities.

• The second appeal must be filed within 90 days of the FAA's decision or the date by which the FAA's decision was due
• No fee is payable
• TSIC may summon the CPIO, examine the records, and pass orders directing disclosure of wrongfully withheld information
• TSIC has the power under Section 20 to impose a penalty of ₹250 per day of default, up to ₹25,000 on the CPIO personally, and to recommend disciplinary action

Jurisdictional clarity: The Central Information Commission (CIC) in New Delhi has no jurisdiction whatsoever over the Telangana Forest Department. The Telangana Forest Department is a Telangana state public authority. The CIC's jurisdiction is strictly limited to Central Government public authorities. If you file a second appeal with the CIC against a response from the Telangana Forest Department, it will be rejected as not maintainable. All second appeals must be filed exclusively with TSIC.

The only situation in which CIC is relevant is if you separately file an RTI with the NTCA (a Central Government body under MoEFCC) about national tiger reserve data that NTCA holds — that CIC appeal relates to NTCA as a Central authority, not to the Telangana Forest Department.

Practical Tips for Effective RTI with the Telangana Forest Department

Match the CPIO to the information level: Asking the DFO-level CPIO for state-level CAMPA aggregate data will result in a transfer under Section 6(3) or a partial response. File directly at the PCCF level for statewide data and at the DFO level for division-specific records.

Use precise geographic identifiers: Nallamala forests span multiple revenue and forest divisions. Specifying the forest compartment number, the range, the mandal, and the district ensures the CPIO cannot deflect by claiming the request is vague.

Request ATRs by date range and category: "Action-taken report for all encroachments detected in Range during Financial Year" is more productive than asking generically about encroachments. A document-specific request is harder to deflect.

Cross-reference FRA data with Revenue Department: FRA claims are processed jointly by the Forest Department (as SDLC member) and the Revenue Department (which chairs the SDLC and DLC). Filing RTI with both the DFO and the District Collector allows you to cross-verify claim status data and identify discrepancies that reveal process failures.

CAMPA utilisation certificates are public accountability records: No exemption in Section 8 of the RTI Act covers CAMPA utilisation data. Any refusal to disclose CAMPA fund expenditure details or utilisation certificates must be challenged immediately at the First Appeal stage.

Annual wildlife crime statistics cannot be withheld: Aggregate data on FIRs registered for wildlife offences, arrests made, and prosecutions filed is not operational intelligence — it is accountability data. The Section 8(1)(h) exemption (information that would impede prosecution) applies to ongoing specific investigations, not to historical statistics about completed or pending cases across a category.

Document non-response rigorously: A failure by the CPIO to respond within 30 days constitutes a deemed refusal under Section 7(2). Record the exact date of receipt of your application (use the acknowledgement card or online portal receipt) and calculate the 30-day deadline. File your First Appeal on the day after the deadline passes, citing the specific dates. Non-response by a state Forest Department to RTI requests about public resources — tiger deaths, encroachments, tribal rights — is particularly difficult for the CPIO to defend before TSIC and is likely to attract the Section 20 penalty.

Use RTI strategically alongside FRA and PESA processes: RTI is not a substitute for the legal remedies under the FRA or PESA, but it is a powerful supplementary tool. Obtaining the official DLC rejection order for a tribal FRA claim through RTI allows the claimant and their legal representative to assess the reasons for rejection, identify procedural violations, and file a well-grounded appeal before the SLMC or the appropriate court. Similarly, RTI records on CAMPA utilisation can be used to support public interest litigation challenging misutilisation of funds meant for ecological restoration.