Over 1 700 sq km of forest area lost in last 10 years due to development activities Govt

New Delhi, Aug 8 (PTI) More than 1,700 sq km of forest area has been lost in the last 10 years due to development activities but land has also been acquired for compensatory aforestation, the government said on Thursday.
    While replying to a supplementary question in the Rajya Sabha, environment and forest minister Bhupendra Yadav also said the country's consolidate overall forest cover has increased and the government is trying to further increase it.
    He said while forest cover in five northeastern states -- Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram and Meghalaya -- has reduced, states such as Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Karnataka and Jharkhand have seen their forest cover increase.    
    "In last 10 years, 1,73, 396 hectares forest area (which is 1,733 sq km) has been lost due to development activities, however, under compensatory aforestation, land has also been acquired," the minister said.
    Because of this, 21,761 sq km area has been increased, and thus, the government has compensated for the loss of forest area, Yadav said.
    Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Narayan Das Gupta asked whether the government has done any survey or developed any mechanism to identify landslide-prone areas in advance so that loss of life can be prevented.
    Replying to this, the minister said the government comes out with a forest survey every two years. However, regarding incidents, there are subject matter of disaster management and state governments look into it, he said.
    Yadav said if the ministry allows any agency to execute a project, it ensures that soil and moisture of an area are protected. Moreover, it also ensures passage for wildlife in hilly areas, so that they do not face any obstruction during their movement, he said.
    Congress' Ranjeet Ranjan claimed forest cover in areas that are above 1,000 metres are reducing.
    Despite this the government is sanctioning projects for these regions, the MP said. Ranjan also raised the issue of the Bhagirathi Char Dham project in Uttarakhand and said the government is "finishing forest areas".
    Replying to this, Minister Yadav said one subject can be rendered in two ways. The government is working to change the life of the people even at the last mile, he said.
    "The five states where the forest cover has decreased, Uttarakhand is not even in the list," he said adding, "The decline happened in the northeastern states into limited areas".
    Yadav said it was the duty of the government to develop those states and provide roads, electricity and health facilities.
    NCP's Fauzia Khan said the ministry has given nod to 80 projects requiring the falling of 2-3 million trees. The alternative has been aforestation with a fund management, she said.
    She asked whether there is any data to suggest that the afforestation of new trees is a replacement of millions of acres of untouched forest cover.    
    The minister said according to the Paris Agreement, the government will increase its total area under green cover to 33 per cent. It has to be increased and for that the government has schemes to increase the tree cover, Yadav said.
    The government is also trying to increase the tree cover in the coastal areas. Moreover, the government is also working towards 30 by 30 vision at the Montreal Biodiversity COP, he said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)