Lok Sabha Question No. 2635 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-08-02
Subject: Depletion in Forest Area/Cover
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: BHAVANA GAWALI (PATIL), ARJUNLAL MEENA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  2635 TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.08.2016

## Depletion in Forest Area/Cover

## 2635.    SHRIMATI BHAVANA PUNDALIKRAO GAWALI PATIL: SHRI ARJUN LAL MEENA:

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

- (a) whether  depletion  in  forest  area  and  loss  of  forest  cover  has  been  recorded  in  the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof during each of the last three years, State/UT-wise along with the reasons therefor;
- (c) the extent of depletion in green cover recorded in large metropolis in the country during the said period;
- (d) whether builders and real estate agencies are urging the Government to allow/grant them permission to build on agricultural land, wasteland, hilly areas, coastal land and forest areas in the country; and
- (e) if so, the action plan prepared by the Government to safeguard such land?

## ANSWER

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

## (SHRI ANIL MADHAV DAVE)

- (a) & (b) Forest Survey of India, Dehradun is carrying out the assessment of forest cover of the country biennially and the findings are published in India State of Forest Report. The latest report in the series is India State of Forest Report 2015. As per this report, the total forest cover of the country is 7, 01,673 square kilometers which is 21.34% of the total  geographical  area  of  the  country.  There  is  a  net  increase  of  3775  square kilometers in the forest cover of the country as compared with India State of Forest Report-2013.  The  detailed  list  showing  forest  cover  and  change  in  forest  cover States/UTs wise is given in Annexure I. The reasons for decline in the forest cover State/UTs wise is given in Annexure II.
- (c)      As per the information provided by the Ministry of Urban Development, no information on depletion of area under forest is available. However  the  forest cover of metropolitan cities as per Master Plan of the city concerned is given as under:-
- (d)       Granting of permission to construct buildings comes within the purview of urban local bodies and urban development authorities which grant permission for change of land use under the provisions of Town and Country Planning Act of the respective states.
- (e)        The  management  and  protection  of  forest  area  is  primarily  the  responsibility  of concerned  State/UT  Governments.  However,  there  are  Central  Acts  such  as  Indian Forest Act, 1927, Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 and State Acts/Rules to deal with issues related to protection and management of forest areas. Use of forest land for nonforest  purpose,  including  in  Metropolitan  Areas  requires  prior  approval  of  Central Government under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. Under this Act, in order to safeguard  the  forest  land,  guidelines  have  been  issued  that  the  Central  Government will  not  entertain  any  proposal  for  diversion  of  forest  land  for  construction  of residential or dwelling houses. However, such diversion may be allowed for defence projects, construction of schools, hospitals/dispensary, community halls, cooperatives, panchayats, tiny rural industrial sheds of the Government etc., which are to be put up for the benefits to the people of that area.  Such diversion should be strictly limited to the actually needed area.

- (i) Mumbai -   86.57 square kilometers

- (ii) Delhi -   180 square kilometers

- (iii) Chennai       -   24 square kilometers

- (iv) Kolkata        -   Not Available

- (v) Bengaluru    -   97 square kilometers

- (vi) Hyderabad   -   88.4 square kilometers

- (vii) Jaipur (Region)-74.47 square kilometers

- (viii) Chandigarh  -   34.4 square kilometers

***********

## Annexure I

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (b) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2635 due for answer on 02.08.2016 regarding 'Depletion in Forest Area/Cover'

## Change in Forest Cover in States/UTs as per India State of Forest Report (ISFR)- 2015 (Area in square Kilometers)

| States/UTs          | Geographical Area   | Total Forest Cover 2015   | Total Forest Cover 2013   |   Change in Forest Cover |   Change Percent |
|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------|--------------------------|------------------|
| Andhra Pradesh      | 1,60,204            | 24,424                    | 24,357                    |                    67    |             0.27 |
| Arunachal Pradesh   | 83,743              | 67,248                    | 67321                     |                   -73    |            -0.11 |
| Assam               | 78,438              | 27,623                    | 27671                     |                   -48    |            -0.17 |
| Bihar               | 94,163              | 7,288                     | 7291                      |                    -3    |            -0.04 |
| Chhattisgarh        | 1,35,191            | 55,586                    | 55621                     |                   -35    |            -0.06 |
| Delhi               | 1,483               | 189                       | 180                       |                     9    |             4.75 |
| Goa                 | 3,702               | 2,224                     | 2219                      |                     5    |             0.22 |
| Gujarat             | 1,96,022            | 14,660                    | 14653                     |                     7    |             0.05 |
| Haryana             | 44,212              | 1,584                     | 1586                      |                    -2    |            -0.13 |
| Himachal Pradesh    | 55,673              | 14,696                    | 14683                     |                    13    |             0.09 |
| Jammu& Kashmir      | 2,22,236            | 22,988                    | 22538                     |                   450    |             1.96 |
| Jharkhand           | 79,714              | 23,478                    | 23473                     |                     5    |             0.02 |
| Karnataka           | 1,91,791            | 36,421                    | 36132                     |                   289    |             0.79 |
| Kerala              | 38,863              | 19,239                    | 17922                     |                  1317    |             6.85 |
| Madhya Pradesh      | 3,08,245            | 77,462                    | 77522                     |                   -60    |            -0.08 |
| Maharashtra         | 3,07,713            | 50,628                    | 50632                     |                    -4    |            -0.01 |
| Manipur             | 22,327              | 16,994                    | 16990                     |                     4    |             0.02 |
| Meghalaya           | 22,429              | 17,217                    | 17288                     |                   -71    |            -0.41 |
| Mizoram             | 21,081              | 18,748                    | 19054                     |                  -306    |            -1.63 |
| Nagaland            | 16,579              | 12,966                    | 13044                     |                   -78    |            -0.6  |
| Odisha              | 1,55,707            | 50,354                    | 50347                     |                     7    |             0.01 |
| Punjab              | 50,362              | 1,771                     | 1772                      |                    -1    |            -0.06 |
| Rajasthan           | 3,42,239            | 16,171                    | 16086                     |                    85    |             0.53 |
| Sikkim              | 7,096               | 3,357                     | 3358                      |                    -1    |            -0.03 |
| Tamil Nadu          | 1,30,058            | 26,345                    | 23844                     |                  2501    |             9.49 |
| Telangana           | 114,865             | 21,591                    | 21759                     |                  -168    |            -0.78 |
| Tripura             | 10,486              | 7,811                     | 7866                      |                   -55    |            -0.7  |
| Uttar Pradesh       | 2,40,928            | 14,461                    | 14349                     |                   112    |             0.77 |
| Uttarakhand         | 53,483              | 24,240                    | 24508                     |                  -268    |            -1.11 |
| West Bengal         | 88,752              | 16,828                    | 16805                     |                    23    |             0.14 |
| A&N Islands         | 8,249               | 6,751                     | 6711                      |                    40    |             0.59 |
| Chandigarh          | 114                 | 22,.03                    | 17.26                     |                     4.77 |            21.65 |
| Dadra &Nagar Haveli | 491                 | 206                       | 213                       |                    -7    |            -3.4  |
| Daman &Diu          | 112                 | 19.61                     | 9                         |                    10.61 |            52.73 |
| Lakshadweep         | 32                  | 27.06                     | 27.06                     |                     0    |             0    |
| Puducherry Grand    | 480                 | 55.38                     | 50.06                     |                     5.32 |             9.61 |
| Total               | 32,87,263           | 701,673                   | 697898                    |                  3775    |             0.54 |

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (b) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2635 due for answer on 02.08.2016 regarding 'Depletion in Forest Area/Cover'

## States showing decline in forest cover and reasons for decline

| Sl. No.   | States/UTs          |   Change (km2) | Reasons for decline                                                           |
|-----------|---------------------|----------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1         | Mizoram             |           -306 | Shifting cultivation and other Biotic pressure                                |
| 2         | Uttarakhand         |           -268 | Rotational felling and diversion of forest lands for developmental activities |
| 3         | Telangana           |           -168 | Shifting cultivation and other Biotic pressure                                |
| 4         | Nagaland            |            -78 | Shifting cultivation and other Biotic pressure                                |
| 5         | Arunachal Pradesh   |            -73 | Shifting cultivation and diversion of forest lands for development activities |
| 6         | Meghalaya           |            -71 | Shifting cultivation and other Biotic pressure                                |
| 7         | Madhya Pradesh      |            -60 | Rotational felling, submergence of forest cover encroachment etc              |
| 8         | Tripura             |            -55 | Shifting cultivation and encroachment on forest lands                         |
| 9         | Assam               |            -48 | Rotational felling, Shifting cultivation, Biotic pressure etc.                |
| 10        | Chhattisgarh        |            -35 | Rotational felling, diversion of forest land for other activities etc         |
| 11        | Dadra &Nagar Haveli |             -7 | Heavy biotic pressure                                                         |
| 12        | Maharashtra         |             -4 | Rotational felling, diversion of forest land, encroachment etc.               |
|           | Others (4)          |             -7 |                                                                               |
|           | Total               |          -1180 |                                                                               |