SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir accounted for 729.14 hectares of forest land approved for diversion for non-forestry purposes between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2026, while 0.94 hectares was approved for diversion in the Union Territory of Ladakh, the Union Government informed the Lok Sabha on Monday.
The figures were provided by Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh in a written reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1264, raised by Shri Varun Chaudhary and Shri Jai Prakash, and answered on July 27, 2026.
Across the country, a total of 71,023.30 hectares of forest land was approved for diversion during the three-year period. The JK figure represented about 1.03 per cent of the national total, while Ladakh’s share was about 0.001 per cent.
Among the Union Territories, JK recorded the highest area approved for diversion, ahead of Delhi (108.30 hectares), Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (70.34 hectares), Puducherry and others listed in the government data. Ladakh’s 0.94 hectares was among the lowest figures in the country.
Nationally, Madhya Pradesh recorded the largest area approved for diversion at 19,432.14 hectares, followed by Odisha (8,965.71 hectares), Arunachal Pradesh (7,334.87 hectares) and Jharkhand (5,409.56 hectares).
The Ministry said the Forest Survey of India (FSI), Dehradun, under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, assesses the country’s forest and tree cover every two years through the India State of Forest Report (ISFR).
The government said the assessment is based on interpretation of multi-temporal satellite data, supported by extensive ground verification. It added that the FSI periodically incorporates technological and methodological improvements, including better satellite data, higher-scale mapping and refined image interpretation techniques, while maintaining consistency in assessments over time.
The ISFR, according to the reply, also assesses forest-cover quality through canopy-density classifications. Very Dense Forest has a canopy density of 70 per cent and above, Moderately Dense Forest has a density of 40 per cent to less than 70 per cent, and Open Forest has a density of 10 per cent to less than 40 per cent.
The government further said that compensatory afforestation is undertaken by the concerned State or Union Territory in accordance with conditions prescribed under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980. Based on reports received from States and UTs, compensatory afforestation has been carried out over 1,78,261.52 hectares during the last five years, with reported plantation survival rates ranging from 40 per cent to 100 per cent.
The sector-wise data for the three-year period showed that the largest areas of forest land approved nationally for diversion were for mining and quarrying (16,463.28 hectares), hydel/irrigation projects (14,294.41 hectares), roads (12,714.93 hectares), power transmission lines/village electricity (7,711.55 hectares) and defence projects (6,276.01 hectares).
