Delhi: Forest land more than city's total area diverted for development projects in 10 years, say govt data

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav/ File Pic

India diverted 1,734 square kilometers of forest land for development activities over the past decade - a figure significantly exceeding the total geographical area of Delhi, according to the government data, reported the PTI.

In response to a question in the Lok Sabha, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said 1,73,396.87 (1.73 lakh) hectares of forest land had been approved for non-forest use, including infrastructure projects, under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980, between 2014-15 and 2023-24, as per the PTI.

Madhya Pradesh, which has the largest forest cover in India at 77,073 square kilometers, recorded the highest forest land diversion, with 385.52 square kilometers repurposed during this period.

Odisha diverted around 244 square kilometres, followed by Telangana at 114.22 square kilometres, Gujarat at 99.85 square kilometres and Arunachal Pradesh at 94.95 square kilometres.

Rajasthan, which has one of the lowest forest covers, diverted 87.96 square kilometres of forest land for non-forest use during these 10 years.

Maharashtra diverted around 85 square kilometres, Jharkhand 83.53 square kilometres, Chhattisgarh 79.25 square kilometres and Uttar Pradesh 70.59 square kilometres.

Uttarakhand diverted 64.71 square kilometres of forest land during this period for non-forest use while Andhra Pradesh diverted 54.55 square kilometres.

According to the biennial India State of Forests Report, the country's forest cover rose from 6,98,712.36 (6.98 lakh) square kilometres in 2013 to 7,15,342.61 (7.15 lakh) square kilometres in 2023, according to PTI.

Delhi CM tables CAG report on DTC in assembly, BJP slams AAP over financial mismanagement

The report highlights the operational inefficiencies and financial losses.

A Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC), tabled by Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta in the Delhi Assembly on Monday.

The report highlights the operational inefficiencies and financial losses, leading to criticism of the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, reported ANI.

The report assesses DTC's key operational and financial aspects, highlighting inefficiencies and areas for improvement. It reviews fleet management, revenue generation, operational sustainability, and compliance with public transport policies.

Following the tabling of the CAG report, BJP MLA Harish Khurana slammed the previous AAP government, accusing it of mismanaging the public transport system, which resulted in financial losses and a decline in DTC's bus fleet.

Khurana, in the Delhi Assembly session, underlined that while AAP had promised 11,000 new buses in 2013-15, the number of DTC buses decreased from 4,344 in 2015 to 3,937.

(With inputs from PTI)