Lok Sabha Question No. 134 (STARRED), answered on 2016-05-03
Subject: Diversion of Forest Land
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: RAJESH RANJAN  (PAPPU  YADAV)

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.  134

TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.05.2016

## Diversion of Forest Land

## * 134. SHRI: RAJESH RANJAN

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

- (a) whether the Government has received several proposals for providing forest land for defence projects during the last two years and the current year;
- (b) if so, the details and present status of such proposals;
- (c) whether his Ministry has decided to provide land for missile testing range and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether experts opinions were sought in this regard and if so, the outcome thereof; and
- (e) whether the Government has made any assessment in regard to the losses likely to be caused to forest cover and wildlife by setting up the missile testing range and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(SHRI PRAKASH JAVADEKAR)

- (a) to (e) A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

***

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED  QUESTION  NO.†*134  ASKED  BY  SHRI  RAJESH  RANJAN  REGARDING 'DIVERSION OF FOREST LAND' DUE FOR REPLY ON 03.05.2016.

(a) and (b):  Yes, Sir. Table containing details of proposals received for defence category and their present status is given at Annexure-I .

(c)  Yes Sir, Ministry has considered the proposal and the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) has recommended the proposal for diversion of 154.42 ha forest land for setting up of missile testing  range  in  favour  of  Defence  Research  Development  Organisation  (DRDO)  in  Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh

(d) &  (e)  Yes,  Sir.  The  proposal  was  examined  at  the  State  level  by  the  Divisional  Forest Officer  (DFO),  Conservator  of  Forest  (CF),    Chief  Wildlife  Warden  (CWLW)  and  Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF).  Subsequently the proposal was scrutinized and cleared in the  meeting  of  State  Board  of  Wildlife  of  11.02.2014  and  then  in  the  meeting  of  Standing Committee  of  National  Board  of  Wildlife  (NBWL)  on  12 th -13 th Aug.  2014.  Further  the decision of the NBWL was sent to the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) of the Hon'ble Supreme  Court  of  India.  The  Central  Empowered  Committee  of  Hon'ble  Supreme  Court  of India  recommended  the  proposal  vide  its  report  dated  11.02.2015.  The  proposal  was  also scrutinized  by  the  Forest  Advisory  Committee (FAC)  in  its  meeting  held  on  22.12.2014  and again on 16.03.2016.  After considering all the aspects of the project, the FAC in its meeting held on 16.03.2016, recommended the proposal with certain conditions to be fulfilled by the State Government. A letter conveying these conditions has been sent to the State Government on 11 th April, 2016.

The  Ministry  has  however  accorded  general  approval  for  under  Section  2  of  the  Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 for

(i) diversion of forest land for creation of critical public utility of 13 categories by Government Departments in 117 Left Wing  Extremism (LWE)  effected districts, by Government Departments involving not more than 5.00 ha of forest land in each case upto 31 st December, 2018;

(ii)  For construction and widening of two lane roads by BRO/ other agencies and widening of link roads, between border roads and National Highways / State Highways/ other State roads in area  falling  within  100  km  aerial  distance  from  line  of  actual  control  irrespective  of  area  of forest land involved valid upto 31 st December, 2019; and

(iii) Forest  land  required  for  creation  of  border  security  related  infrastructure  such  as  border roads, fencing, border outposts, flood lights, surveillance infrastructure and power infrastructure within 5 km aerial distance from the international border by para-military organisation of the Ministry of Home Affairs valid till 31 st December, 2019.

*****

## Annexure-I

THE ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (b) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 134 BY SHRI RAJESH RANJAN REGARDING 'DIVERSION OF FOREST LAND' DUE FOR REPLY ON 03.05.2016

State/Union territory-wise details of proposals for grant of forest clearance for defence projects from various States received by the Central Government during last two years and the current status of these proposals  (From 01.01.2014 to 28.04.2016)

## A. Forest Clearance

| S. No.   | State Union Territory    |   Number of Proposal received |   Final approval granted |   In- Principle approval granted |   Under Process |   Pending With/ Returned to State Government for want of information |   Closed |
|----------|--------------------------|-------------------------------|--------------------------|----------------------------------|-----------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------|----------|
| 1        | Andaman& Nicobar Islands |                             3 |                        2 |                                1 |               0 |                                                                    0 |        0 |
| 2        | Andhra Pradesh           |                             1 |                        0 |                                0 |               0 |                                                                    1 |        0 |
| 3        | Arunachal Pradesh        |                             7 |                        1 |                                0 |               0 |                                                                    6 |        0 |
| 4        | Chhattisgarh             |                             2 |                        0 |                                1 |               1 |                                                                    0 |        0 |
| 5        | Himachal Pradesh         |                             1 |                        0 |                                1 |               0 |                                                                    0 |        0 |
| 6        | Madhya Pradesh           |                             5 |                        3 |                                0 |               0 |                                                                    2 |        0 |
| 7        | Maharashtra              |                             2 |                        1 |                                1 |               0 |                                                                    0 |        0 |
| 8        | Manipur                  |                             3 |                        0 |                                2 |               0 |                                                                    0 |        1 |
| 9        | Rajasthan                |                             1 |                        0 |                                1 |               0 |                                                                    0 |        0 |
| 10       | Sikkim                   |                             5 |                        0 |                                2 |               0 |                                                                    3 |        0 |
| 11       | Tripura                  |                             2 |                        0 |                                1 |               0 |                                                                    1 |        0 |
| 12       | Uttar Pradesh            |                             2 |                        0 |                                1 |               0 |                                                                    1 |        0 |
| 13       | Uttarakhand              |                             9 |                        1 |                                5 |               0 |                                                                    3 |        0 |
| 14       | West Bengal              |                             5 |                        0 |                                3 |               0 |                                                                    2 |        0 |
| Total    | Total                    |                            48 |                        8 |                               19 |               1 |                                                                   19 |        1 |