MHA wants 8-fold rise in forest clearance cap in Maoist-hit areas

NEW DELHI: The Centre is considering a proposal which could have major implications for the forest cover in the nation’s densest forest patches. The home ministry has moved a proposal seeking freeing up of forest clearances for building public utility infrastructure in up to 40 hectares in Left-wing extremism hit districts which also happen to be densely forested.

The Cabinet Secretary chaired a meeting on the issue last week, where the proposal to grant ‘general approval’ for diversion of forest land in 117 Maoist-hit districts were discussed. There are already significantly relaxed norms for building critical strategic and public utility infrastructure in up to 5 hectares in these districts but the Centre is now pushing for increasing the area by eight times. The general approval in LEW areas was originally initiated with exemption for just a hectare.

It is learnt that no final decision could be taken at the meeting last week where the environment ministry opined that such an exemption from due forest clearance procedures for such a huge area may not be entirely desirable in view of forest conservation concerns.

"There is no final decision on it yet but it is being discussed at the highest levels. The environment ministry is of the view that exemption for even up to 5 hectares is actually more than sufficient for the sort of critical infrastructure permitted currently. There is little merit in according exemption for an area as huge as 40 hectares as it is not in the interest of protecting forest cover," an official well versed with the proposal told ET on condition of anonymity.




The latest India State of Forest Report, 2015, recorded that while the country’s forest cover has increased by 3,775 sqkm since 2013, with an increase in the Very Dense Forest category by 2,402 sqkm there has been a decrease of 3,371 sqkm in the moderately dense forest areas.

In 2011, the Ministry of Environment & Forests had relaxed norms under Section 2 of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, for diversion of forestland for infrastructure building in 60 Naxalhit districts. It later extended this approval to an additional 57 districts identified by the home ministry and Planning Commission for implementation of the Integrated Action Plan.

The NDA government soon after taking over last year extended general approval in 117 LWE affected districts for construction of all categories of public roads by Government Departments, except those falling in protected areas, irrespective of the area of forest land involved. The environment ministry had said the same was being done to expedite creation of road infrastructure in these districts to facilitate the security forces to effectively combat Maoists.

The general approval was earlier for 13 categories of public utility infrastructure, later increased to 15 categories.