Industry Odisha Bureau, Aug 27: A total of 12716 hectares of forest land has been diverted for non-forestry purposes including execution of various projects including railway, road, mining, irrigation, industry, and energy during the last five years in Odisha.
According to official data, the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MOEF&CC) has given clearance for diversion of12716.27 hectares of the forest land under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam 1980.
While 1002.13 hectares of forest land was diverted in the state during the financial year 2021-22, the volume increased to 2748.43 hectares in the next financial year. The amount of forest land diversion again went up to 3939.93 hectares during the financial year 2023-24.
The data also revealed that 3342.59 hectares and 1683.19 hectares of forest land were diverted for various projects during the financial years 2024-25 and 2025-26.
During last five years from April 2021 to March 2026, a total area of 1,05,594.32 hectares of forest land has been diverted for non-forest purposes in the entire country, under the provisions of Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980.
Wherever diversion of forest land is unavoidable, prior approval of the Central Government for use of such forest land is subject to various conditions and mitigation measures, officials said.
These include undertaking Compensatory Afforestation (CA) in lieu of the forest land being diverted, payment of Net Present Value (NPV), Soil and Moisture Conservation measures, Wildlife Management Plans, and Catchment Area Treatment (CAT) Plans as applicable, they said.
The Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) Act, 2016 and its Rules, 2018, aim toward mitigating the loss of forest cover and associated ecosystem services resulting from the diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes.
Afforestation activities are implemented in accordance with the approved Annual Plan of Operations (APO), duly conforming to the provisions of the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016 and the CAF Rules, 2018, as well as the guidelines issued under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980.
Further, the proposals for use of forest land for non-forestry purposes are processed online through the PARIVESH portal (https://parivesh.nic.in).
As per India State of Forest Report, (ISFR) 2023, the forest and tree cover of the country is 8,27,356.95 square kilometers which is 25.17% of the total geographical area of the country.
The forest and tree cover of the country has increased by 1445.81 square kilometers as compared to the last assessment of ISFR 2021.
Similarly, the carbon stock, as per ISFR, 2023, has been estimated as 7,285.5 million tonnes. There is an increase of 81.5 million tonnes of carbon stock as compared to the estimate of the previous assessment.
Odisha performed well in creation of forests. The state has recorded an increase of 558 sq km in forest and tree cover over the past two years, making it the third best performing state in the country in expanding green cover.
Now, 37.63 per cent, or 58,597 square kilometres, of the total geographical area of the state is under forest and tree cover.
Notably, the Forest Survey of India (FSI), Dehradun, an organization under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, carries out the assessment of forest and tree cover of the country biennially and the findings are published in the India State of Forest Report (ISFR).
