Lok Sabha Question No. 1943 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-12-21
Subject: Development Schemes in Forest Areas
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: VINCENT H PALA

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  1943 TO BE ANSWERED ON 21.12.2018

## Development Schemes in Forest Areas

## 1943.    SHRI VINCENT H. PALA:

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

- (a) the details of the steps taken to remedy the loss of about 135 hectares of natural forest land per day to development schemes;
- (b) the  details  of  the  forest  area  in  the  North  East  Region  converted  into  Oil-palm plantations till date;
- (c) the  details  of  the  impact  on  environment  due  to  loss  of  natural  forests  to  Oil-palm plantations till date and the steps taken to remedy the same; and
- (d) the details of the steps taken to protect the threatened western Hoolock Gibbon as its habitats in the North-Eastern Forests are undergoing rapid change due to conversion of natural forests into Oil-palm plantations?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) It  is  not  true  that  135  hectares  of  natural  forest  land  is  lost  per  day  for  development works. However, for various developmental activities in the country, prior approval for diversion of the forest is granted by the Central Government under Forest (Conservation) Act,  1980.  The  year-wise  details  of  forest  land  diverted  for  various  developmental activities are given  in Annexure-I. In  order to compensate  the  loss  of  forest, compensatory afforestation is being carried by the forest department on equal non forest land and/or degraded forest land. The details of compensatory afforestation during 1980 to 2017 as reported by States/Union Territories are given in Annexure-II.
- (b) & (c)    The  Ministry  has  not received any information regarding conversion  of  forest  area  in North East Region into Oil Palm Plantation. However, as per information received from Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department, experimental oil palm plantation over an area of 15 hectares was taken up by Arunachal Forest Corporation way back prior to 1994 which was  not  successful.  Therefore,  there  is  no  impact  on  environment  due  to  oil  palm plantation.
- (d)        There  is  no  change  in  the  habitats  of  the  western  Hoolock  Gibbon  in  North  Eastern forests. However, Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department and Nagaland Forest Department has taken following steps to protect the western Hoolock Gibbon.
- (i) Conservation breeding of hoolock gibbon has been taken up in Itanagar biological park area.
- (ii) Natural  habitat  area  of  western  hoolock  gibbon  has  been  declared  as  National Parks/Wild  Life  Sanctuaries  (Protected  Areas)  in  the  State  for  its  conservation. Various  National  Parks/Wild  Life  Sanctuaries  having  viable  hoolock  gibbon population are Namdapha National Park, Mehao Wild Life Sanctuary, Kamlang Wild Life Sanctuary.
- (iii) Nagaland  Forest Department  has taken a series  of  awareness  programme involving villagers, students, district administration, churches and other stakeholders  on  co-existence  of  human  beings  with  wild  animals  including western hoolock gibbon and its habitats.

************

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1943 due for answer on 21-12-2018 regarding ' Development Schemes in Forest Areas'

## Statement showing diversion of forest land in last three years and current year under Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.

| S. No.   | STATE/UT            | 2015          | 2016          | 2017          | 2018          | Total         |
|----------|---------------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
| S. No.   | STATE/UT            | Area Diverted | Area Diverted | Area Diverted | Area Diverted | Area Diverted |
| 1        | Andaman and Nicobar | 14.88         | 5.26          | 0.00          | 0.00          | 20.14         |
| 2        | Andhra Pradesh      | 2056.29       | 175.38        | 1219.08       | 23.81         | 3474.57       |
| 3        | Arunachal Pradesh   | 46.21         | 182.30        | 222.86        | 0.00          | 451.37        |
| 4        | Assam               | 0.00          | 0.00          | 0.00          | 0.00          | 0.00          |
| 5        | Bihar               | 75.19         | 186.32        | 414.04        | 453.84        | 1129.38       |
| 6        | Chandigarh          | 0.37          | 0.02          | 0.00          | 0.00          | 0.39          |
| 7        | Chhattisgarh        | 2355.29       | 397.74        | 688.30        | 329.54        | 3770.87       |
| 8        | Dadar &Nagar Haveli | 0.00          | 1.50          | 0.70          | 3.20          | 5.40          |
| 9        | Daman and Diu       | 0.00          | 0.00          | 0.00          | 0.00          | 0.00          |
| 10       | Delhi               | 12.00         | 0.00          | 0.00          | 0.00          | 12.00         |
| 11       | Goa                 | 0.00          | 0.00          | 41.59         | 1.16          | 42.75         |
| 12       | Gujarat             | 520.68        | 386.84        | 13.87         | 1086.69       | 2008.07       |
| 13       | Haryana             | 267.54        | 427.65        | 260.46        | 524.93        | 1480.58       |
| 14       | Himachal Pradesh    | 261.47        | 21.06         | 225.26        | 394.67        | 902.46        |
| 15       | Jammu and Kashmir   | 0.00          | 0.00          | 0.00          | 0.00          | 0.00          |
| 16       | Jharkhand           | 190.40        | 303.82        | 25.17         | 166.52        | 685.90        |
| 17       | Karnataka           | 120.84        | 316.90        | 320.10        | 26.91         | 784.75        |
| 18       | Kerala              | 0.00          | 13.69         | 0.00          | 2.13          | 15.82         |
| 19       | Lakshadweep         | 0.00          | 0.00          | 0.00          | 0.00          | 0.00          |
| 20       | Madhya Pradesh      | 3075.92       | 686.69        | 2817.17       | 6150.97       | 12730.75      |
| 21       | Maharashtra         | 655.71        | 2047.33       | 800.58        | 205.57        | 3709.19       |
| 22       | Manipur             | 117.64        | 87.00         | 58.56         | 0.00          | 263.20        |
| 23       | Meghalaya           | 138.11        | 0.00          | 4.82          | 0.00          | 142.93        |
| 24       | Mizoram             | 0.00          | 0.24          | 0.00          | 0.00          | 0.24          |
| 25       | Nagaland            | 0.00          | 0.00          | 0.00          | 0.00          | 0.00          |
| 26       | Orissa              | 1291.12       | 765.10        | 374.49        | 2537.57       | 4968.28       |
| 27       | Pondicherry         | 0.00          | 0.00          | 0.00          | 0.00          | 0.00          |
| 28       | Punjab              | 171.87        | 76.59         | 566.44        | 561.27        | 1376.17       |
| 29       | Rajasthan           | 265.48        | 189.79        | 2088.54       | 246.17        | 2789.97       |
| 30       | Sikkim              | 9.36          | 12.28         | 2.05          | 0.61          | 24.30         |
| 31       | Tamil Nadu          | 481.27        | 33.17         | 0.76          | 27.19         | 542.40        |
| 32       | Telangana           | 2410.41       | 12.54         | 4876.18       | 579.35        | 7878.48       |
| 33       | Tripura             | 59.43         | 12.74         | 3.33          | 8.48          | 83.98         |
| 34       | Uttar Pradesh       | 159.56        | 0.00          | 4.20          | 0.00          | 163.76        |
| 35       | Uttarakhand         | 18.98         | 1524.96       | 548.75        | 729.92        | 2822.61       |
| 36       | West Bengal         | 0.00          | 170.22        | 108.64        | 12.29         | 291.15        |
|          | TOTAL               | 14776.03      | 8037.16       | 15685.91      | 14072.79      | 52571.89      |

## Annexure II

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1943 due for answer on 21-12-2018 regarding ' Development Schemes in Forest Areas'

## Compensatory Afforestation achieved from 1980 to 2017 as reported by States/Union Territories from time to time

(Area in hectare)

| S. No.      | Name of States    |   Compensatory Afforestation |
|-------------|-------------------|------------------------------|
| 1           | Andaman &Nicobar  |                      2353.97 |
| 2           | Andhra Pradesh    |                     31457.5  |
| 3           | Arunachal Pradesh |                     11717.5  |
| 4           | Assam             |                      7874    |
| 5           | Bihar             |                      4304.4  |
| 6           | Chandigarh        |                        75.4  |
| 7           | Chhattisgarh      |                     48809.8  |
| 8           | Delhi             |                       107.79 |
| 9           | Goa               |                      1829.62 |
| 10          | Gujarat           |                     84811.7  |
| 11          | Haryana           |                      6861.3  |
| 12          | Himachal Pradesh  |                     24008.5  |
| 13          | Jammu &Kashmir    |                     37091.9  |
| 14          | Jharkhand         |                     25246.7  |
| 15          | Karnataka         |                     28067    |
| 16          | Kerala            |                     58578.4  |
| 17          | Madhya Pradesh    |                    136059    |
| 18          | Maharashtra       |                     97565    |
| 19          | Manipur           |                      5327.23 |
| 20          | Meghalaya         |                       611    |
| 21          | Mizoram           |                      7264.58 |
| 22          | Odisha            |                     55654.7  |
| 23          | Punjab            |                     13749    |
| 24          | Rajasthan         |                     40136.4  |
| 25          | Sikkim            |                      3667.43 |
| 26          | Tamil Nadu        |                      3702    |
| 27          | Tripura           |                      5594    |
| 28          | Telangana         |                     11480    |
| 29          | Uttar Pradesh     |                     19156.5  |
| 30          | Uttarakhand       |                     38415.1  |
| 31          | West Bengal       |                      3583.79 |
| Grand total | Grand total       |                    815161    |