Lok Sabha Question No. 1052 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-11-22
Subject: Afforestation
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: BHARAT SINGH

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No.1052 TO BE ANSWERED ON 22.11.2016

## Afforestation

## 1052.     SHRI BHARAT SINGH:

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

- (a) the land area, in hectares on which afforestation has been carried out by the Government in lieu of the trees cut down for construction of national highways in the country during each of the last three years; State-wise;
- (b) whether the Ministry is aware of the fact that artificial afforestation is not lasting and cannot be compared with the depleted or diminished natural forests; and
- (c) if so, the details thereof and the reaction of the Government thereto?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## (SHRI ANIL MADHAV DAVE)

- (a) Under the guidelines issued under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, the stipulation of planting of trees in multiples of the number of felled trees, is prescribed as an ameliorative measure, in-lieu of felling of trees as a consequence of construction of national highways, the  quantum  of  multiples  stipulated  varies  from  State  to  State.    State  wise  details  of compensatory afforestation in lieu of diverted forest land including for roads, is given in Annexure .
- (b)  &  (c)    Artificial  afforestation  carried  out  under  compensatory  afforestation  provisions  of Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980  does not substitute natural forests. 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 of part (a) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No.1052 on 'Afforestation ' asked by Shri Bharat Singh for reply on 22.11.2016.

## Total Compensatory Afforestation done upto 31.03.2015 in various States

| SL. No.   | Name of the State   |   Compensatory Afforestation done (in hectares) |
|-----------|---------------------|-------------------------------------------------|
| 1         | Andaman &Nicobar    |                                            2164 |
| 2         | Andhra Pradesh      |                                           27375 |
| 3         | Arunachal Pradesh   |                                           12096 |
| 4         | Assam               |                                            6372 |
| 5         | Bihar               |                                             964 |
| 6         | Chandigarh          |                                              26 |
| 7         | Chhattisgarh        |                                           30450 |
| 8         | Delhi               |                                              88 |
| 9         | Goa                 |                                            1772 |
| 10        | Gujarat             |                                           79804 |
| 11        | Haryana             |                                            3716 |
| 12        | Himachal Pradesh    |                                           19393 |
| 13        | Jammu &Kashmir      |                                           25612 |
| 14        | Jharkhand           |                                           15840 |
| 15        | Karnataka Kerala    |                                           25921 |
| 16        | Kerala              |                                           58578 |
| 17        | Madhya Pradesh      |                                          132057 |
| 18        | Maharashtra         |                                           94317 |
| 19        | Manipur             |                                             803 |
| 20        | Mizoram             |                                            3483 |
| 21        | Odisha              |                                           42314 |
| 22        | Punjab              |                                            9831 |
| 23        | Rajasthan           |                                           16919 |
| 24        | Sikkim              |                                            3530 |
| 25        | Tamil Nadu          |                                            3342 |
| 26        | Tripura             |                                            3951 |
| 27        | Uttar Pradesh       |                                           10254 |
| 28        | Uttarakhand         |                                           34548 |
| 29        | West Bengal         |                                            3289 |
| 30        | Telangana           |                                            8297 |
| Total     | Total               |                                          677106 |