Bhubaneswar: With 11,033.08 hectares of forest land approved for non-forest use in the last four years, Odisha stands second among states in the country in such diversions for various projects.
Madhya Pradesh accounted for the highest area of forest land approved for diversion during the same period at 17,393.65 hectares, while the figures for Arunachal Pradesh stood at 6561.47 hectares, Uttar Pradesh 5480.43 hectares and Chhattisgarh 4,092.01 hectares.
The information was disclosed by the Centre Thursday in the Rajya Sabha, where Union Minister Kirti Vardhan Singh said a total of over 78,100 hectares of forest land have been approved for diversion across the country for non-forest use in the last four years.
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In a written reply, the minister also said that the government approved the diversion of 12,324.32 ha of forest land in the first half of 2025.
The data, shared by Singh, shows that a total of 78,135.84 hectares were approved for non-forest use between April 1, 2021 and March 31, 2025. Gujarat reported diversion of 4,959 hectares of forest land, while Jharkhand saw 4,431.91 hectares being approved for non-forest purposes.
Rajasthan recorded diversion of 4,180.06 hectares, Maharashtra 3,603.62 hectares and Uttar Pradesh 5,480.43 hectares.
Andhra Pradesh (1020.63 ha), Karnataka (1385.38) and Himachal Pradesh (1429.84) also featured among the states with high forest clearance during the period.
Manipur reported diversion of 1,720.11 hectares and Assam 722.24 hectares.
Smaller figures were reported from Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura.
Delhi approved diversion of 118.59 hectares, Andaman and Nicobar Islands 104.14 hectares and Ladakh less than one hectare.
The Environment ministry had earlier told Parliament that more than 1.73 lakh hectares of forest land was approved for diversion for non-forestry purposes across India from 2014 to 2024, with mining and hydropower projects emerging as the leading contributors.
PNN
