BHUBANESWAR: Amid loss of green cover, compensatory afforestation has been carried out in around 19 per cent land identified against the total forest area diverted for implementation of various mining, industrial and road projects in the state in the last three years.
The information shared by Forest and Environment Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia in the Assembly recently also revealed that only around 27 per cent trees have been planted against the total number of trees chopped down for the projects.
According to the available data, the state government obtained permission for diversion of 6,556.5 hectare (ha) forest land between 2021 and 2023 for implementation of mining, industrial and road infrastructure projects. Around 1.36 lakh trees were also cut down during the period for implementation of the development projects.
While the state government had identified 10,299.37 ha forest and non-forest land to take up compensatory afforestation towards these diversions and was supposed to plant 10 times the number of trees felled, only around 1,631 ha of land, around 19 per cent of the total identified area, has been covered under the plantation programme so far. Besides, 4.90 lakh saplings have been planted against the requirement of at least 1.36 million saplings as per government norms.
The data also revealed that forest lands have been diverted and trees felled for 32 different projects between 2021 and 2023. A total of 1,371.41 ha forest land was diverted for 10 projects in 2021 that required felling of 69,796 trees. However, 3.51 lakh saplings were planted to compensate the loss of trees in the year.
Similarly, 2,258.75 ha of forest land was diverted for eight projects in 2022 in which 66,343 trees were felled. But 1.02 lakh saplings were planted. In 2023, 2,944.96 ha forest land was diverted for 14 projects which required felling of 161 trees. At least 36,840 saplings were planted to compensate the loss.
The minister said there is a plan to take up compensatory afforestation in the remaining 8,667.63 ha of the total 10,299.37 ha identified land from this year onwards. Funds to be utilised for this purpose will be deposited by the firms and agencies concerned in CAMPA.
