(a) the area of land in hectares taken up for afforestation in Uttar Pradesh against the trees felled for constructing National Highways during each of the last three years;
(b) whether the Government is aware that artificial afforestation is not a long lasting measure and it cannot be compared with to the decreasing and extincting natural forest;
(c) if so, the details thereof; and
(d) the corrective measures taken by the Government in this regard?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
(DR. MAHESH SHARMA)
(a) The details of land in hectares taken up for afforestation in Uttar Pradesh against the trees felled for constructing National Highways during each of the last three years are given in Annexure.
(b), (c) & (d) Artificial afforestation carried out under compensatory afforestation provisions of Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 does not substitute natural forests and does not compensate the ecological loss instantly. Yet, keeping in view the imperatives of development, and the crucial role played by development projects including highways in the process of development, permission for diversion of forest land is granted under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 only in cases where diversion of forest land is inevitable. Compensatory afforestation is undertaken to minimize the loss of impact of forest diversion in due course of time.
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