India’s rapid infrastructure expansion over the past decade has come at a heavy environmental cost, with over 1.73 lakh hectares of forest land approved for diversion to non-forestry purposes between 2014 and 2024.
The staggering figure was placed before the Lok Sabha on Monday by Environment Minister of State Kirti Vardhan Singh in response to a question by Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat, who cited the 2023 State of India's Environment Report by the Centre for Science and Environment. The report had flagged a 150 per cent surge in forest clearances over the last decade.
Singh informed the House that 1,73,984.3 hectares of forest area had been approved for diversion under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, now renamed as Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980, during the period spanning April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2024.
Leading the tally were mining and quarrying projects, which consumed 40,096.17 hectares, largely in mineral-rich regions of central and eastern India where extractive industries continue to chip away at forest cover.
Hydropower and irrigation schemes collectively accounted for 40,138.31 hectares, including the construction of dams, canals, reservoirs and supporting infrastructure, reflecting the government's push for water security and energy generation.
Linear infrastructure, a long-standing driver of deforestation, also featured prominently. Road-building projects were approved for 30,605.69 hectares, while power transmission lines claimed 17,232.69 hectares.
Defence-related projects, including those in border areas, diverted 14,968.14 hectares, a significant figure that underscores the strategic realignment of infrastructure in frontier regions.
The data placed railway projects next, with 7,998.65 hectares cleared, largely to accommodate new lines, doubling, and electrification drives.
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Singh said forest diversions were undertaken in “unavoidable circumstances” and only after adequate mitigation measures were ensured.
Among other sectors, the “Others” category, which includes unclassified and miscellaneous use, accounted for 9,669.85 hvectares. Projects for converting forest villages into revenue villages used 3,250 hectares, a move often linked to resettlement under the Forest Rights Act.
Thermal power plants accounted for 2,644.02 hectares, while resettlement schemes were sanctioned 1,580.55 hectares. Drinking water supply projects, including pipelines and treatment units, took up 1,282.21 hectares.
Smaller but notable diversions included village electrification (551.13 ha), optical fibre cabling (437.63 ha), pipeline installations (543.57 ha), and industrial estates or standalone factories (405.82 ha).
The footprint of renewable energy projects was considerably smaller. Wind power projects were granted 346.84 hectares, solar installations just 1.57 hectares, and substations 76.14 hectares.
Healthcare and education projects together consumed less than 200 hectares. Hospitals and dispensaries took up 113.31 hectares, while educational institutions such as schools and colleges used 83.46 hectares.
Marginal allocations were recorded for communication posts (6.54 ha), telecommunication lines (0.59 ha), and rainwater harvesting structures (0.11 ha). A total of 9.63 hectares of forest land was also regularised as encroachments under specific policy provisions.
While the government insists that diversions are permitted only with environmental safeguards in place, the growing scale of forest loss for infrastructure signals an ongoing tension between development imperatives and ecological preservation.
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