Question : DECONTROL OF FOREST LAND IN BIHAR

(a) whether a proposal to decontrol 100 acres of forest land for operation of delomite mines by the Steel Authority of India Limited in Hasaldag area of Bhavnathpur in Gadhava district of Bihar is pending with the Union Government;

(b) if so, whether 100 acres land of forest land has been decontrolled for exploitation of minerals by Birla Industrial House in Madhya Pradesh; and

(c) if so, the reasons for not decontrolling the forest land in Hasaldag area of Bhavnathpur in Gadhava district of Bihar for delomite mines by the Steel Authority of India Limited(SAIL)?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTS (SHRI BABU LAL MARANDI)

(a)to(c) A proposal for diversion of 198.24 hectares of forest land for renewal of mining lease of Bhawanathpur limestone mines in favour of Steel Authority of India in district Garhwa was received from the State Government of Bihar under section-2 of Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 during 1998. During examination of the proposal, certain additional essential information was sought from the State Government of Bihar on 22.03.1999. The requisite information was not submitted by the State Government within the stipulated time period of three months and therefore, the present proposal was rejected for want of information on 11.11.1999.

No proposal for diversion of forest land for mining of minerals in district Garhwa in favour of Birla Industrial House is received under Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 from the State Government of Bihar.