Roads, Mining, Hydel Projects Claimed Nearly 1 Lakh Hectares Of India's Forest Land Since 2020

Nearly 97,050 hectares of forest land was diverted for non-forestry purposes in the last five financial years, starting 2020-21, the Union Environment Ministry told Parliament. Madhya Pradesh accounted for the largest share, with 902 such proposals for non-forestry use approved and only six rejected between 1st April 2020 and 31st March 2025.

The government said that it gave the go-ahead to as many as 10,026 proposals during this period and rejected just 120 proposals—an overwhelmingly high approval rate, with only a handful of rejections. Some regions, like the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where 26 projects were approved, saw no rejection. Jammu and Kashmir, as well as Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram in the Northeast, also saw no rejections.

Out of the total projects considered during the last five years, most of them were approved in Gujarat (1560), with Haryana (1424) and Uttar Pradesh (1188) following closely behind.

Roads cut deep into forests, followed by mining, hydel projects

Roads cut the deepest into India’s forests, with nearly 22,233 hectares of forest land diverted for construction of roads alone. Mining and quarrying followed close behind, claiming 18,913 hectares of forest land, while hydel and irrigation projects claimed 17,434 hectares, and power transmission lines nearly 13,859 hectares. Remaining diversions were mostly for Defence (6,041 hectares), railways (5,957 hectares), and other developmental projects.

Responding to questions, Minister of State (Environment, Forests, and Climate Change) Kirti Vardhan Singh said the diversion was approved under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980. “The central government, following the prescribed statutory approval process, takes prompt decisions on proposals for diversion of forest land, including all development projects, that are complete in all respects,” he told Parliament.

As per the conditions of approval, the states/UTs concerned have to ensure that a minimum number of trees are felled, and wherever feasible, translocation of trees is to be done, and the permission for felling of trees is given by the concerned states/UTs, he added.

Madhya Pradesh, Odisha record maximum diversion of forest land

While Madhya Pradesh recorded the maximum diversion of forest land—24,346 hectares—it was followed by Odisha (12,875 hectares), Gujarat (6,850), and Arunachal Pradesh (6,656 hectares), as per the data from 2020-21 to 2024-25.

The government attributed the reduction in timelines observed in the processing of Environmental Clearance (EC) proposals to “comprehensive regulatory reforms undertaken by the Environment Ministry, supported by technology-driven interventions such as GIS layers, Decision Support System”. The minister also cited the recently launched online single-window system for processing such proposals, as well as amendments to the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006, and office memorandums issued from time to time for reducing the duration.

The government had also recently given appraisal powers to the State Environment Impact Assessment Authorities (SEIAAs) for sectors like mining, irrigation, and power projects, and also increased Expert Appraisal Committee meetings to at least twice a month to speed up proposal review.

Under the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006, project proposals are examined by an Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC), which reviews their environmental impacts. The committee recommendations are then placed before the ministry, which takes the final decision on granting or rejecting environmental clearance. Forest diversion proposals from states are reviewed by an advisory committee under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan Adhiniyam), 1980.