Vijayawada: For several decades, Komera Anka Rao, affectionately known as Jaji, found comfort beneath the shade of trees he planted with his own hands. He spent his youth transforming barren patches of Nallamala forests into green havens, inspiring thousands of schoolchildren to embrace environmental conservation.
Today, over a year after being honoured by chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, the man celebrated as the 'champion of afforestation' in the country, remains trapped in a maze of bureaucratic neglect.
On World Environment Day (June 5) last year, Naidu announced that Anka Rao is being appointed as the state govt’s advisor on afforestation. The announcement was hailed as recognition of a grassroots-level environmentalist who devoted his life to protecting forests. Then chief secretary K Vijayanand, who is now special CS to the CM, also issued a govt order within four days of the announcement, giving official seal to Anka Rao’s appointment.
What followed, however, is a story far removed from the applause and accolades. The implementation of the GO appeared to have been stalled almost immediately, with the semi-literate environmental activist struggling to gain access to senior officials and govt offices for the past one year. It took nearly six months for another GO to be issued fixing Anka Rao’s pay and allowances — a provision usually included in the initial appointment order itself. Strangely, while other advisors usually get a monthly remuneration ranging between ₹2.5 lakh and ₹3.5 lakh, Anka Rao’s salary was fixed at ₹60,000!
After repeated representations, the forest department was directed to provide him with facilities as stipulated under the GO. In Feb, nearly eight months after the CM’s public announcement, special chief secretary for forests Kanthilal Dande instructed officials to allot office space to the environmentalist in Aranya Bhavan. The ‘order’, however, was never followed. Instead, Anka Rao was reportedly told that there was no space available and was redirected from one office to another.
At one point, he was reportedly offered a storeroom in a corner of a forest office in Guntur. Later, he was asked to consider office accommodation at Nagaravanam in Perecherla, away from Guntur city. Promises of office space within the district collectorate campus also never translated into action.
A year after the chief minister’s announcement, Anka Rao is still waiting for an office, a vehicle, official status, and even his salary benefits. Those close to him say the poor environmentalist has spent thousands of rupees travelling between offices, hoping officials would implement the CM’s announcement, but nothing has happened.
When asked, principal chief conservator of forests PV Chalapathi Rao confirmed that the govt has requested them to provide office accommodation and necessary facilities to Anka Rao as a “stop-gap arrangement” until permanent arrangements were made.
“However, our office is facing acute shortage of space. All available rooms are occupied by newly posted officers and no vacant accommodation is available. As the existing infrastructure is already under considerable strain, we are not in a position to provide a separate space/ accommodation to Anka Rao as of now,” Rao said, adding that he mentioned the constraints in his letter to the principal secretary in March. Repeated attempts to contact special chief secretary (forests & environment) Kantilal Dande went unanswered.
Despite the ordeal, Anka Rao’s commitment to nature remains intact. Even as files gather dust and promises remain unfulfilled, Jaji continues his mission in the forests. He may have endured a year of humiliation, but there is no bitterness as he keeps doing what he knows best — planting trees. He remains what he has always been — a common man with an uncommon devotion to the environment.
