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Between January 2018 and April 2023, over 90,000 hectares of forest land have been sanctioned for development ventures, as confirmed by the Union environment ministry in the Rajya Sabha.
Madhya Pradesh led with 19,730.36 hectares, followed by Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, and Gujarat. Smaller states and Union Territories, such as Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Manipur, also saw forest land diversion.
According to The Hindustan Times, the double the size of Mumbai's suburbs was repurposed for infrastructure projects in the past five years.
The Union environment ministry acknowledged this earlier in April, citing 88,903.80 hectares diverted mainly for roads (194.24 sq km) and mining (188.47 sq km). The total area diverted has now reached 90,001.15 hectares.
Importantly, the forest data for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands does not encompass the proposed township and area development project on Great Nicobar. This initiative involves the planned conversion of 13,000 hectares of forest land, with forest clearance granted on October 27 last year. The non-public availability of project documents is attributed to its strategic and national significance, as explained by officials.
In response to a parliamentary inquiry concerning diverted natural vegetation and compensatory afforestation, Junior Environment Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey disclosed that a total of 90,001.5 hectares have been approved for diversion over the past five years. However, he did not specify the percentage of vegetation cover loss.
The 'State of Forest Report 2021' by the Forest Survey of India outlines India's forest cover at about 71.37 million hectares. The proportion of forest area diverted in the last five years might appear small in relation to the overall forest cover due to the comprehensive definition of forests used by the survey.
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