Lok Sabha Question No. 2680 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-08-01
Subject: Illegal Cultivation on Forest Land
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: KRISHNAN NARAYANASAMY RAMACHANDRAN

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 2680

TO BE ANSWERED ON 01.08.2017

## Illegal Cultivation on Forest Land

## 2680.  SHRI K.N. RAMACHANDRAN:

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

- (a) whether the Government is aware of the illegal cultivation due to encroachment on forest lands in the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government has received any complaints regarding illegal cultivation on forest lands;
- (c) if so, the details of such complaints during each of the last three years, Statewise; and
- (d) the steps taken by the Government to check this trend in the country?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  FOR  ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (DR. HARSH VARDHAN)

- (a) to (c) Management  and  protection  of  forest  area  is  primarily  the  responsibility  of concerned State/UT Governments and action is taken to prevent /remove encroachment  as  per  the  existing  rules  and  regulations  by  respective  State/UT Governments. As per the reports received from States/UTs, the details of the forest area under encroachment are given in Annexure. No specific information/complaint regarding illegal cultivation due to encroachment on huge tracts of forest land has been received in the Ministry. However, some States/UTs have  reported  that  the  encroached  areas  in  the  forests  are  also  being  used  for cultivation.
- (d) Action  is  taken  by  the  concerned  State/UT  Governments  to  prevent/  evict encroachments  as  per  the  provisions  of  Indian  Forest  Act,  1927,  Wild  Life Protection Act, 1972, Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, and the Acts and Rules of various  State/UT  Governments.  This  Ministry  provides  financial  assistance  to State/UT Governments under various Centrally Sponsored Schemes including the 'Intensification  of  Forest  Management  Scheme'  (IFMS),  for    activities  like strengthening of infrastructure viz. check posts, buildings for frontline staff, use of modern technology that includes wireless network, Remote Sensing, Geographical Information  System,  Information  Technology,  Global  Positioning  System  (GPS) and  improved  mobility  to  the  field  staff  by  providing  vehicles  for  patrolling, survey  and  demarcation  of  forest  areas  including  digitization  of  recorded  forest areas and construction of boundary pillars etc.

In addition to above, the State/UT Governments take various steps for protection of  the  forest  areas  which  include  patrolling  of  forest  areas,  strengthening  of  the check posts/barriers, use of modern information technology for control of forest offences, demarcation of forest areas and digitization of the recorded forest areas, involvement  of  local  Communities/  Joint  Forest  Management  Committees  in preventing encroachment on forest land.

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## ANNEXURE

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) to  (c)  OF  THE  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2680 BY SHRI K.N. RAMACHANDRAN REGARDING 'ILLEGAL CULTIVATION ON FOREST LAND' DUE FOR REPLY ON 01.08.2017

| 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            | 27360.21                        | 31.07.2012   |
| 9        | Jammu &Kashmir       | 14345.02                        | 13.02.2014   |
| 10       | Karnataka            | 75826.76                        | 31.03.2016   |
| 11       | Kerala               | 56.43                           | 31.03.2016   |
| 12       | Madhya Pradesh       | 534717.28                       | 31.03.2016   |
| 13       | Maharashtra          | 67012.56                        | 31.03.2016   |
| 14       | Odisha               | 78505.08                        | 22.07.2011   |
| 15       | Punjab               | 6987.31                         | 31.03.2015   |
| 16       | Rajasthan            | 9003.91                         | 31.12.2015   |
| 17       | Tamil Nadu           | 15142.00                        | 16.07.2014   |
| 18       | Telangana            | 3056.00                         | 31.03.2017   |
| 19       | Uttar Pradesh        | 23954.41                        | 31.03.2017   |
| 20       | Uttarakhand          | 9619.80                         | 30.06.2016   |
| 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              | 1356.80                         | 31.03.2016   |
| 25       | Meghalaya            | 9378.00                         | 12.03.2011   |
| 26       | Mizoram              | 9589.48                         | 31.03.2016   |
| 27       | Nagaland             | 8721.86                         | 26.07.2011   |
| 28       | Sikkim               | 2817.21                         | 31.03.2016   |
| 29       | Tripura              | 6.77                            | 08.08.2014   |
| 30       | A &NIslands          | 479.57                          | 31.03.2016   |
| 31       | Chandigarh           | 14.00                           | 31.03.2016   |
| 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                | 1344152.11                      |              |