Lok Sabha Question No. 944 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-11-22
Subject: Land Reserved for Forests
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Devusinh Jesingbhai Chauhan

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  944

TO BE ANSWERED ON 22.11.2019

## Land Reserved for Forests

## 944.    SHRI DEVUSINH JESINGBHAI CHAUHAN:

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

- (a) the total area of land reserved for forests in Gujarat, district-wise;
- (b) the number of people illegally residing on the forest land for several years, district-wise;
- (c) whether the Government is formulating/has formulated any policy to allot pattas to these people for construction of houses and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) if not, whether the Government proposes to evict these people from the forest land; and
- (e) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO)

- (a) Forest  Survey  of  India,  Dehradun,  an  organization  under  the  Ministry  carries  out  the assessment of forest cover of the country biennially and the findings are published in India State of Forest Report (ISFR). As per the latest report i.e. ISFR- 2017, the total recorded forest  area  in  Gujarat  State  is  21859.22  square  kilometre.  The  district-wise  break  up  of forest area is given in Annexure-I.
- (b) As per the information received  from the  State  of Gujarat, the district-wise statement of individuals who were claimants of forest land is given in Annexure II.
- (c) As per information received from the State of Gujarat, 88226 claimants have been given titles,  that  include  the  claims  for  house  construction.  Separate  data  for  claims  for construction of houses is not maintained by the State Government.
- (d) & (e) The Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006, provides a framework for recording the forest rights so vested and the nature of evidence required for such recognition and vesting in respect of forest land in respect of member  or  members  of  a  forest  dwelling  Scheduled  Tribe  or  other  traditional  forest dwellers who have been residing in such forests for generations but whose rights could not be  recorded.  As  per  the  information  from  the  State  of  Gujarat,  such  cases  of  allowing rights/allotting pattas are considered after scrutiny under the said Act.

Annexure I

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 944 due for answer on 22.11.2019 regarding 'Land Reserved for Forests' Details of District wise forest area in Gujarat.

| Sl.No.   | Name of District   |   Forest area (in square kilometre) |
|----------|--------------------|-------------------------------------|
| 1        | Ahmedabad          |                            106.82   |
| 2        | Amreli             |                            339.93   |
| 3        | Anand              |                              0      |
| 4        | Banaskantha        |                           1107.22   |
| 5        | Bharuch            |                            245.844  |
| 6        | Bhavnagar          |                            255.45   |
| 7        | Dahod              |                            884.15   |
| 8        | Dang               |                           1034.68   |
| 9        | Gandhinagar        |                             24.96   |
| 10       | Jamnagar           |                           1081.39   |
| 11       | Junagadh           |                           1572.27   |
| 12       | Kutch              |                           5638.75   |
| 13       | Kheda              |                             21.05   |
| 14       | Mehsana            |                             71.52   |
| 15       | Narmada            |                           1142.92   |
| 16       | Navsari            |                            264.444  |
| 17       | Panchmahal         |                            685.76   |
| 18       | Patan              |                            484.64   |
| 19       | Porbandar          |                            246.9    |
| 20       | Rajkot             |                            170.94   |
| 21       | Sabarkantha        |                            815.03   |
| 22       | Surat              |                            496.723  |
| 23       | Surendranagar      |                            406.819  |
| 24       | Tapi               |                            907.61   |
| 25       | Vadodara           |                             20.83   |
| 26       | Valsad             |                            937.528  |
| 27       | Chhotaudepur       |                            720.71   |
| 28       | Morbi              |                            375.606  |
| 29       | Dev Bhumi Dwarka   |                            509.01   |
| 30       | Botad              |                             35.6714 |
| 31       | Gir Somnath        |                            189.01   |
| 32       | Mahisagar          |                            616.47   |
| 33       | Aravalli           |                            448.57   |
|          | Total              |                          21859.2    |

Annexure II Annexure referred to in reply to part (b) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 944 due for answer on 22.11.2019 regarding 'Land Reserved for Forests' Details of individual claims under Forest Right Act (FRA)-2006

| Sl.No.   | Name of District   |   Claims Made |   Claims Approved |   Claims Rejected |   Titles Distributed |
|----------|--------------------|---------------|-------------------|-------------------|----------------------|
| 1        | Banas Kantha       |          9488 |              6611 |              2877 |                 6611 |
| 2        | Sabarkantha        |         11928 |              2628 |              9300 |                 2619 |
| 3        | Arvalli            |          7697 |              4089 |              3615 |                 4089 |
| 4        | Panch mahal        |         11672 |              3232 |              4536 |                 2608 |
| 5        | Mahisagar          |         11994 |              3950 |              2718 |                 3950 |
| 6        | Dahod              |         20150 |              3453 |             16697 |                 3453 |
| 7        | Chota udepur       |         17557 |              6667 |                 0 |                 6667 |
| 8        | Narmada            |         17783 |              8576 |                64 |                 8576 |
| 9        | Bharuch            |          4076 |              2034 |              2042 |                 2034 |
| 12       | Surat              |          7745 |              4072 |              3675 |                 4072 |
| 11       | Tapi               |         77947 |              8104 |                 0 |                 8104 |
| 12       | Dang               |          7341 |              3207 |              4109 |                 3207 |
| 13       | Navsari            |          9322 |              3950 |              4044 |                 3950 |
| 14       | Valsad             |         28286 |             28286 |              5881 |                28286 |
|          | Total              |        176986 |             88859 |             59558 |                88226 |