SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has seen 1,086.01 hectares of forest land approved for diversion for non-forestry purposes during the last three years and the current financial year up to August 6, 2026, the Centre informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
The figure places JK among the Union Territories and states where forest land has been approved for diversion under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980. The total forest land approved for diversion across India during the period stood at 82,817.92 hectares, or about 828.18 square kilometres.
According to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the diversion in JK accounts for around 1.31 per cent of the total forest land approved for non-forestry purposes nationwide during the period.
Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh said the Forest Survey of India (FSI), Dehradun, conducts a biennial assessment of forest cover through remote sensing supported by intensive ground verification.
As per the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023, the country’s forest cover stood at 7,15,342.61 square kilometres, constituting 21.76 per cent of its geographical area. The national forest cover increased by 156.41 square kilometres compared with the 2021 assessment.
The government said forest land diversion proposals are examined on a case-to-case basis under the applicable law, rules and guidelines, taking into account their likely impact on forests, wildlife and the environment.
It said diversion is permitted only when it is considered unavoidable and site-specific, with the extent restricted to the bare minimum required for a project.
Where diversion is approved, the Centre said, conditions and mitigation measures include compensatory afforestation, payment of Net Present Value (NPV), soil and moisture conservation measures, wildlife management plans and catchment area treatment plans, wherever applicable.
Among the states, Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest area approved for forest land diversion at 22,027.02 hectares, followed by Odisha with 10,098.99 hectares and Arunachal Pradesh with 7,828.31 hectares.
JK’s 1,086.01 hectares was higher than the corresponding figure for Ladakh, where 3.98 hectares was approved for diversion during the period.
The government maintained that forest land diversion is regulated through prior approval and mitigation measures intended to minimise the ecological impact of projects requiring forest land.
