Nagpur | Jul 12, 2016: The forest advisory committee (FAC) of the ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) will consider diversion of 15,334 hectare forest land for nine projects on Tuesday.

Of the 15,334 hectare forest area for diversion, 13,267.12 hectare alone is proposed in favour of Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority for undertaking capital city infrastructure works.

Pushp Jain, director of EIA Resource and Response Centre (ERC), says, "This is the largest project in last three years being considered since the proposal for diversion of 22,777.50 hectare forest land in Manipur for construction of Tipaimukh hydroelectric project in July 2013. That clearance was declined."

ERC is an NGO which keeps a watch on Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) processes and ensures that impact of developmental activities on India's environment and communities is properly accessed and accounted for.

Just imagine, even if no project is recommended, the AP project alone would mean forest diversion of 36 hectare per day for the whole year," says Jain.

The Centre for Science and Environment, in a recent analysis of minutes of the meetings of the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife, already shows that the NDA government approved 301 projects in seven meetings in past two years while during the five years of UPA rule it approved 260 projects in 17 meetings.

The ERC has said that probably this is the reason the MoEFCC is shying away from putting agenda of the meeting in public domain in time. The agenda appeared on July 6, only five days before the meeting.

After the Andhra Pradesh capital proposal, mining proposals with 1,143 hectare are the next large forest area diversion. Among the states, the infrastructure project in AP is followed by a large defence project in Chhattisgarh with 845 hectare forest diversion.

The FAC agenda also excludes projects which have got in-principle approval. These projects include diversion of 250.0635 hectare forest area for establishment of Navi Mumbai international airport in favour of City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra and diversion of 413.745 hectare forest land for Baildila iron ore mining project in favour of NMDC Limited in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh.

The agenda also includes in-principle approval for 315.81 hectare proposal seeking permission for prospecting license and drilling of 64 bore holes for diamond explorations covering over and extent of 153.11 hectare in reserve forest areas of Ananthapur in favour of National Mineral Development Corporation, Hyderabad, for a period of three years.

(Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/)