BENGALURU: The forest department has diverted around 20,805.72 hectares of land under it for various projects in the state in the past 20 years. As per information on forest land diverted for non-forestry purposes under the Forest Conservation Act (1980) from 2004-05 to 2023-24, 534 proposals were submitted to the department seeking its approval for land for various projects. Large and small land parcels were given for major projects, including mining and irrigation.
For Upper Tunga Project in Shivamogga, 449.55 hectares, 335.04ha and 232.76ha for mining in Ballari, 215.55ha for wind power generation in Belagavi, 0.78ha in Belagavi and Raichur districts for road projects and 0.4ha for a sewage treatment plant were given. Interestingly, in most cases, applications seeking less than one hectare of land were submitted.
The state government has also given forest land for setting up cell phone network towers. In the last one year, under the Union government’s project to enhance internet and mobile connectivity, lands were given for installing 256 BSNL towers, most of them in Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, Shivamogga and other places in the Western Ghats.
A senior forest official said the list of land diversion also includes around 500 acres for Yettinahole and 50ha for Kalasa-Banduri projects. In most cases, applicants sought clearance for small plots. This is because of the stringent rules. Forest land has also been given for road and drinking water projects and other infrastructure projects, the official said.
Land as compensation must be given near the forest: Rules
As per rules, permission for land diversion is given under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, amended in 2023.
If forest land is required for non-forestry purposes, then for every hectare, an equal dimension of land has to be handed over to the department for afforestation. Compensation for afforestation should be given. The applicants should also bear the cost of felling trees and pay their present value. They should pay 2% of the project cost for wildlife mitigation and 0.5% for soil mitigation measures, the official said.
The guidelines stated that land, as compensation, should be given near the forest. But in many cases, land had been given in places away from forests. Some land parcels given to the department are under litigation or encroached, the official said.