Lok Sabha Question No. 1124 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-18
Subject: Forest Cover
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Gowdar Mallikarjunappa Siddeshwara

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

## LOK SABHA UN-STARRED QUESTION NO:  1124

TO BE ANSWERED ON 18.09.2020

## Forest Cover

## 1124.     SHRI G.M. SIDDESHWAR:

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

- (a) the  ratio  of  total  land  under  forest  cover  to  the  infrastructure  such  as  roads,  buildings, bridges, tracks, etc. in major urban areas;
- (b) whether  total  land  under  forest  cover  is  decreasing,  if  so,  the  status  of  forest  cover  in 2010 vis-a-vis 2019, State-wise;
- (c) whether any regulation exists for maintaining a set ratio between the two in urban areas;
- (d) if so, whether the given ratio is accurately maintained in urban cities; and
- (e) if not, whether Government is planning to make such a regulation to ensure the same?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) There is no prescribed ratio of land under forest cover to total urban infrastructure such as roads, buildings, bridges, tracks, etc. in major urban areas.  The Urban and Regional Development  Plan  Formulation  and  Implementation  Guidelines  (URDPFI),  2014  of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs prescribes that about 12-14% of the total area should be kept for recreation use (including forest, parks, playgrounds and other open spaces  for  congregation)  in  the  small  and  medium  towns  and  about  14-16%  in  large cities and Metropolitan Towns.
- (b) No, Sir.

Forest  Survey  of  India,  Dehradun,  carries  out  the  assessment  of  forest  cover  of  the country biennially and the findings are published in India State of Forest Reports (ISFR). As per ISFR 2011, the total forest cover in the country was 6,92,027 square kilometre. Between  ISFR-2011  and  ISFR-2019,  an  increase  of  20,222  square  kilometre  of  forest cover has been observed. The State/UT-wise details of forest cover in 2011 and 2019 are given in Annexure .

- (c) to (e) As mentioned in part (a), the ratio between land under forest/open green (recreation) and other  uses  is  prescribed  in  the  URDPFI  Guidelines,  which  is  advisory  in  nature.  The maintenance  of  ratio  comes  within  the  purview  of  Urban  Local  Bodies  and  Urban Development Authorities.

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## Annexure referred to in reply to part (b) of the Lok Sabha Un-starred Question No. 1124 due for answer on 18.09.2020 regarding 'Forest Cover'

## States/UTs wise Forest Cover & Forest Cover change as per ISFR -2011 and 2019 (Area in square kilometre)

| State/UTs            | Geographic Area   | Forest Cover (ISFR 2011)   | Forest Cover (ISFR 2019)   | Forest Cover Change between (ISFR 2011& 2019)   |
|----------------------|-------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|
| Andhra Pradesh       | 1,62,968          | 46,389                     | 49,719                     | 3,330                                           |
| Arunachal Pradesh    | 83,743            | 67,410                     | 66,688                     | -722                                            |
| Assam                | 78,438            | 27,673                     | 28,327                     | 654                                             |
| Bihar                | 94,163            | 6,845                      | 7,306                      | 461                                             |
| Chhattisgarh         | 1,35,192          | 55,674                     | 55,611                     | -63                                             |
| Delhi                | 1,483             | 176.20                     | 195.44                     | 19                                              |
| Goa                  | 3,702             | 2,219                      | 2,237                      | 18                                              |
| Gujarat              | 1,96,244          | 14,619                     | 14,857                     | 238                                             |
| Haryana              | 44,212            | 1,608                      | 1,602                      | -6                                              |
| Himachal Pradesh     | 55,673            | 14,679                     | 15,434                     | 755                                             |
| Jammu & Kashmir      | 2,22,236          | 22,539                     | 23,612                     | 1,073                                           |
| Jharkhand            | 79,716            | 22,977                     | 23,611                     | 634                                             |
| Karnataka            | 1,91,791          | 36,194                     | 38,575                     | 2,381                                           |
| Kerala               | 38,852            | 17,300                     | 21,144                     | 3,844                                           |
| Madhya Pradesh       | 3,08,252          | 77,700                     | 77,482                     | -218                                            |
| Maharashtra          | 3,07,713          | 50,646                     | 50,778                     | 132                                             |
| Manipur              | 22,327            | 17,090                     | 16,847                     | -243                                            |
| Meghalaya            | 22,429            | 17,275                     | 17,119                     | -156                                            |
| Mizoram              | 21,081            | 19,117                     | 18,006                     | -1,111                                          |
| Nagaland             | 16,579            | 13,318                     | 12,486                     | -832                                            |
| Odisha               | 1,55,707          | 48,903                     | 51,619                     | 2,716                                           |
| Punjab               | 50,362            | 1,764                      | 1,849                      | 85                                              |
| Rajasthan            | 3,42,239          | 16,087                     | 16,630                     | 543                                             |
| Sikkim               | 7,096             | 3,359                      | 3,342                      | -17                                             |
| Tamil Nadu           | 1,30,060          | 23,625                     | 26,364                     | 2,739                                           |
| Telangana            | 1,12,077          | *                          | *                          | *                                               |
| Tripura              | 10,486            | 7,977                      | 7,726                      | -251                                            |
| Uttar Pradesh        | 2,40,928          | 14,338                     | 14,806                     | 468                                             |
| Uttarakhand          | 53,483            | 24,496                     | 24,303                     | -193                                            |
| West Bengal          | 88,752            | 12,995                     | 16,902                     | 3,907                                           |
| A&N Islands          | 8,249             | 6,724                      | 6,743                      | 19                                              |
| Chandigarh           | 114               | 17                         | 22                         | 5                                               |
| Dadra & Nagar Haveli | 491               | 211                        | 207                        | -4                                              |
| Daman & Diu          | 111               | 6.15                       | 20.49                      | 14                                              |
| Lakshadweep          | 30                | 27.06                      | 27.10                      | 0                                               |
| Puducherry           | 490               | 50.06                      | 52.41                      | 2                                               |
| Grand Total          | 32,87,469         | 6,92,027                   | 7,12,249                   | 20,222                                          |