CUTTACK: The Orissa government has informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that a total of 405.08 square kilometres (sq km) of forest area is currently under encroachment in the state.
In an affidavit, principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF), Odisha, Debidutta Biswal presented the data which showed Nabarangpur district alone accounts for 236.67 sq km of the forest land under encroachment. This is 58.42 per cent of the total encroached forest land in Odisha.
The southern districts of Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Kalahandi, Gajapati and Ganjam together account for 72 per cent of the total forest land under encroachment. Bhadrak is the one district with no encroachment, the data revealed.
On April 19 this year, the NGT had taken suo motu cognisance of a news report and started proceedings for examining the issue of large scale encroachment of forest land across the country. The NGT principal bench, New Delhi, had directed the states/UTs to file their replies and provide details of the encroachment and action taken on the matter.
“The issue raised in the news report is very serious and if the factum that no action has been taken by the authorities is correct that would make the matter more serious requiring immediate attention and action,” the Tribunal had observed while listing the matter for further hearing on July 31.
The latest data as on March 2024 presented by the PCCF, Odisha, showed that 40,507.56 hectare or 405.08 sq km of forest land has been encroached in the state. The encroached forest land in the seven southern districts stands at Rayagada (16.03 sq km), Nabarangpur (236.67 sq km), Koraput (12.82 sq km), Malkangiri (4.20 sq km), Kalahandi (23.28 sq km), Gajapati (4.11 sq km) and Ganjam (10.01 sq km).
“Encroachment case has been booked,” the affidavit said regarding action taken.
According to the NGT order, the news report published on January 5, 2024 stated that over 7,500 sq km of the recorded forest area of the total 7,75,288 sq km in the country has been encroached upon but no action has been taken by the authorities concerned in the matter.
Taken Over
405.08 sq km forest land under encroachment
236.67 sq km in Nabarangpur
72 per cent of forest land encroachment in 7 southern districts
0 enrcoachment in Bhadrak district