Lok Sabha Question No. 339 (STARRED), answered on 2015-12-22
Subject: Encroachment of Forest Land
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: LAXMAN GILUWA, CHANDRAKANT BHAURAO KHAIRE

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## STARRED QUESTION NO. 339

TO BE ANSWERED ON 22.12.2015

## Encroachment of Forest Land

- *339.   SHRI LAXMAN GILUWA: SHRI CHANDRAKANT KHAIRE:

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

- (a) whether  encroachment  of  forest  land  has  been  reported  in  various  States  of  the country;
- (b) if so, the details of the forest areas under encroachment, State and UT-wise;
- (c) the provisions laid down by the Government to pre-empt encroachment of forest land;
- (d) the steps taken by the Government to remove the encroachments; and
- (e) the  status  of  implementation of  the provisions by the States  and the reaction of the Government in this regard?

## 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. *339 BY SHRI LAXMAN GILUWA AND SHRI CHANDRAKANT  KHAIRE REGARDING 'ENCROACHMENT  OF FOREST LAND' DUE FOR REPLY ON 22.12.2015

- (a) to (b) As  per  the  information  provided  by  the  State/UT  governments,  the  forest  area under encroachment is 18,99,032.73 hectares which is approximately   2.47 % of the  total  recorded  forest  area  of  the  country.  The  State/UT-wise  details  of  the forest area under encroachments in the country are given in Annexure-I.
- (c) to (e) Protection  and  Management  of  Forests  is  primarily  the  responsibility  of  the concerned  State/UT  Government  and  hence  the  action  to  prevent  and  remove encroachments is taken as per the provisions of various acts such as Indian Forest Act,  1927;  Wildlife  Protection  Act,  1972;  Forest  Conservation  Act,  1980  and various rules & regulations thereof. Details regarding removal of encroachment by State Governments are not maintained in the Ministry. To prevent fresh encroachments various measures are taken by the State Forest Departments such as setting up of check posts, use of Information and Communication  Technology,  improved  mobility  to  the  field  staff,  survey  and demarcation of forest areas and construction of boundary pillars. Local communities  are  also  involved  in  conservation,  protection  and  management  of forests through Joint Forest Management Committees/ Village level committees. The  Ministry  supplements  the  efforts  of  the  States/UTs  in protection  and management of forests through Centrally Sponsored Scheme namely Intensification of Forest Management Scheme.

Annexure-I ANNEXURE REFFERED TO IN PARTS (a) to (b) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *339 BY SHRI LAXMAN GILUWA AND SHRI CHANDRAKANT KHAIRE  REGARDING  'ENCROACHMENT  OF  FOREST  LAND'  DUE  FOR REPLY ON 22.12.2015

| S. No.   | Name of States/UTs   | Area of Encroachment (in ha.)   |
|----------|----------------------|---------------------------------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh       | 40561.96                        |
| 2        | Bihar                | 356.00                          |
| 3        | Chhattisgarh         | 118494.60                       |
| 4        | Gujarat              | 34791.00                        |
| 5        | Goa                  | Nil                             |
| 6        | Haryana              | 184.63                          |
| 7        | Himachal Pradesh     | 4600.00                         |
| 8        | Jharkhand            | 27360.21                        |
| 9        | Jammu &Kashmir       | 14 345.02                       |
| 10       | Karnataka            | 81 776.80                       |
| 11       | Kerala               | 41063.30                        |
| 12       | Madhya Pradesh       | 552570.46                       |
| 13       | Maharashtra          | 183171.80                       |
| 14       | Odisha               | 78505.08                        |
| 15       | Punjab               | 7078.496                        |
| 16       | Rajasthan            | 31659.53                        |
| 17       | Tamil Nadu           | 15142                           |
| 18       | Telangana            | 183465.00                       |
| 19       | Uttar Pradesh        | 26831.10                        |
| 20       | Uttarakhand          | 9656.73                         |
| 21       | West Bengal          | 12660.97                        |
| 22       | Arunachal Pradesh    | 58626.57                        |
| 23       | Assam                | 317215.39                       |
| 24       | Manipur              | 1918.37                         |
| 25       | Meghalaya            | 9378.00                         |
| 26       | Mizoram              | 29933.12                        |
| 27       | Nagaland             | 8721.86                         |
| 28       | Sikkim               | 3232.87                         |
| 29       | Tripura              | 6.77                            |
| 30       | A &NIslands          | 4379.36                         |
| 31       | Chandigarh           | 14.00                           |
| 32       | D&N Haveli           | 614.40                          |
| 33       | Daman &Diu           | 87.83                           |
| 34       | Lakshadweep          | Nil                             |
| 35       | Delhi                | 629.51                          |
| 36       | Puducherry           | Nil                             |
|          | TOTAL                | 1899032.73                      |