(a) the area of land in hectares where afforestation has been carried out to compensate the loss of trees cut down for construction of national highways in Maharashtra during each of the last three years;
(b) whether artificial afforestation/ reforestation is not the long term solution and cannot compensate shrinking or disappearing natural forest cover and if so, the details thereof; and
(c) the reaction of the Government thereto?
MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
(SHRI ANIL MADHAV DAVE)
(a) The compensatory afforestation is done to compensate the loss of forest area diverted for development works including construction of National Highways. The compensatory afforestation is carried out by the State Forest Department from the funds released by adhoc CAMPA on non-forest land and degraded forest land in the States. During last three years (2014-17) compensatory afforestation have been raised over 225.52 hectares of land in the State of Maharashtra for the forest land diverted towards construction projects under National Highway in the State.
(b & c) It is true that artificial afforestation carried out under compensatory afforestation provisions of Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 cannot substitute natural forests, 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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