Lok Sabha Question No. 1246 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-02-09
Subject: Encroachment in Reserved Forests Area
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: RAMESH CHANDER KAUSHIK

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 1246

TO BE ANSWERED ON 09.02.2018

## Encroachment in Reserved Forests Area

## 1246.  SHRI RAMESH CHANDER KAUSHIK:

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

- (a) whether the Government has taken note that incidents of encroachment in the reserved forest areas of the country have gone up in recent years and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government has fixed accountabilities of officials in this regard;
- (c) if  so,  the    details  thereof  and  the  action  taken  by  the  Government  against  the  officials found guilty; and
- (d) the corrective measures taken by the Government to check such encroachments?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) This Ministry is not in receipt of any specific report/ information that incidents of encroachment in the reserve forest areas of the country have gone up in the recent years. However, the State / Union Territory wise updated details on forest area under encroachment is given in the Annexure.
- (b) & (c) The  primary responsibility of protection of forests from various threats including encroachment lies with the respective State/ UT Governments. Hence, the respective State/ UT Governments fix the accountability on various officials and  take  action  against  those  who  are  found  guilty  in  this  regard,  as  per  the extant acts, rules and regulations made there under.
- (d) The State/ UT Governments, besides taking legal actions against encroachment as  per  the  extant  acts,  rules  &  regulations,  also      take  various  other  measures such as demarcation and digitization of forest boundaries, strengthening infrastructure  for  forest  protection,  involving  fringe  area  forest  communities such  as  Joint  Forest  Management  Committees  (JFMCs)  etc.  to  prevent  and control encroachments.

*******

ANNEXURE-I

ANNEXURE  REFFERED  TO  IN  REPLY  OF  PART  (a)  OF  THE  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1246 DUE FOR 09.02.2018 REGARDING ENCROACHMENT  IN  RESERVE  FORESTS  AREA  ASKED  BY  SHRI  SHRI RAMESH CHANDER KAUSHIK

| S. No.   | Name of States/UTs   | Area of Encroachment (in ha.)   | As on Date   |
|----------|----------------------|---------------------------------|--------------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh       | 1690.72                         | 31.03.2016   |
| 2        | Bihar                | 132.21                          | 31.03.2015   |
| 3        | Chhattisgarh         | 19330.64                        | 31.01.2016   |
| 4        | Gujarat              | 34791.00                        | 19.03.2011   |
| 5        | Goa                  | Nil                             | 25.02.2013   |
| 6        | Haryana              | 520.00                          | 31.03.2016   |
| 7        | Himachal Pradesh     | 2339.02                         | 31.03.2016   |
| 8        | Jharkhand            | 26496.00                        | 07.08.2017   |
| 9        | Jammu &Kashmir       | 10279.28                        | 31.03.2017   |
| 10       | Karnataka            | 82734.81                        | 31.03.2017   |
| 11       | Kerala               | 7801.10                         | 31.03.2017   |
| 12       | Madhya Pradesh       | 534717.28                       | 31.03.2016   |
| 13       | Maharashtra          | 67012.56                        | 31.03.2016   |
| 14       | Odisha               | 78505.08                        | 22.07.2011   |
| 15       | Punjab               | 8175.31                         | 31.03.2017   |
| 16       | Rajasthan            | 10839.76                        | 31.03.2017   |
| 17       | Tamil Nadu           | 15041.57                        | 31.03.2017   |
| 18       | Telangana            | 3056.00                         | 31.03.2017   |
| 19       | Uttar Pradesh        | 23954.41                        | 31.03.2017   |
| 20       | Uttarakhand          | 9534.10                         | 13.12.2017   |
| 21       | West Bengal          | 10214.80                        | 31.03.2016   |
| 22       | Arunachal Pradesh    | 58636.13                        | 31.03.2016   |
| 23       | Assam                | 317215.39                       | 17.03.2015   |
| 24       | Manipur              | 6726.51                         | 31.03.2017   |
| 25       | Meghalaya            | 9378.00                         | 12.03.2011   |
| 26       | Mizoram              | 11408.16                        | 28.11.2017   |
| 27       | Nagaland             | 2479.96                         | 31.03.2017   |
| 28       | Sikkim               | 2817.21                         | 31.03.2016   |
| 29       | Tripura              | 6.77                            | 08.08.2014   |
| 30       | A &NIslands          | 4068.69                         | 31.03.2016   |
| 31       | Chandigarh           | 14.00                           | 03.08.2017   |
| 32       | D&N Haveli           | 614.40                          | 31.03.2013   |
| 33       | Daman &Diu           | 87.83                           | 28.09.2010   |
| 34       | Lakshadweep          | Nil                             | 28.08.2010   |
| 35       | Delhi                | 629.51                          | 11.04.2012   |
| 36       | Puducherry           | Nil                             | 21.10.2010   |
|          | TOTAL                | 1361248.21                      |              |