Lok Sabha Question No. 6541 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-04-06
Subject: Afforestation
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: REKHA ARUN VERMA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTIO N NO.  6541

TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.04.2018

## Afforestation

## 6541.   SHRIMATI REKHA VERMA:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a)  the  area  of  land  in  hectares  taken  up  for  afforestation  in  Uttar  Pradesh  against  the trees felled for constructing National Highways during each of the last three years;
- (b)  whether  the  Government  is  aware  that  artificial  afforestation  is  not  a  long  lasting measure and it cannot be compared with to the decreasing and extincting natural forest;
- (c) if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the corrective measures taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (DR. MAHESH SHARMA)

- (a) The details  of  land  in  hectares  taken  up  for  afforestation  in  Uttar  Pradesh  against  the trees felled for constructing National Highways during each of the last three years  are given in Annexure .
- (b), (c) & (d) Artificial afforestation carried out under compensatory afforestation provisions of  Forest  (Conservation)  Act,  1980  does  not  substitute  natural  forests  and  does  not compensate  the  ecological  loss  instantly.  Yet,  keeping  in  view  the  imperatives  of development, and the crucial role played by development projects including highways in the process of development,    permission for diversion of forest land is granted under the  Forest  (Conservation)  Act,  1980  only  in  cases  where  diversion  of  forest  land  is inevitable.   Compensatory afforestation is undertaken to minimize the loss of impact of forest diversion in due course of time.

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Annexure referred to in reply to parts (a) of Lok Sabha UnStarred Question No. 6541  due for reply on 06.04.2018 regarding 'Afforestation' asked by Shrimati Rekha Verma.

## Details of Plantation in lieu of trees felled for construction of National Highway in Uttar Pradesh during last three years (2015-16 to 2017-18)

| Financial Year   | No. of National Highway (NH) Proposals (in   | Compensatory Afforestation (in Ha.) (on double degraded)   | Additional No. of seedlings planted   | Additional No. of seedlings planted   | Total (in ha.)   |
|------------------|----------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|------------------|
|                  | Nos.)                                        |                                                            | (In Nos.)                             | Equivalent (ha.)                      |                  |
| 2015-16*         | 89                                           | 190.593                                                    | 153724                                | 245.958                               | 436.551          |
| 2016-17          | 37                                           | 495.011                                                    | 42452                                 | 67.923                                | 562.934          |
| 2017-18          | 32                                           | 127.784                                                    | 80678                                 | 129.085                               | 256.869          |
| Total            | 158                                          | 813.388                                                    | 276854                                | 442.966                               | 1256.354         |

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