Bhubaneswar: More than 14,433 hectares of forest land have been diverted for 176 mining projects in Odisha during the last 10 years, Forest, Environment and Climate Change Minister Ganesh Ram Singkhuntia told the state Assembly Tuesday.
During this period, more than 11,214 hectares have been transferred and mutated in favour of the Forest department for compensatory afforestation (CA) purposes, of which CA plantations over 4,228 hectares have been raised, he said in a written reply to a question by MLA Sofia Firdous.
The minister said that the highest 8,676 hectares of forest land were diverted in Rourkela circle of the department, while 3,794 hectares of forest land were diverted in Angul circle.
Moreover, 492 hectares of forest land in Koraput circle, 470 hectares in Baripada circle and 0.073 hectares in Sambalpur circle have been diverted for mining projects during the past decade.
No forest land has been diverted in Bhubaneswar, Bhawanipatna and Berhampur circles for mining activities, he added.