Forest areas encroached in 25 states, UTs; MP, Assam worst affected: Government report
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New Delhi (PTI): Over 13,000 sq km of forest area, more than the total geographical area of Delhi, Sikkim and Goa combined, is under encroachment in 25 states and Union Territories, according to data submitted by the Union Environment Ministry to the National Green Tribunal.
Last year, the NGT took suo motu cognisance of a PTI report that cited government data showing that 7,50,648 hectares (or 7,506.48 sq km) of forest area -- more than five times the size of Delhi -- was under encroachment in India.
In April last year, the NGT had directed the ministry to compile the details of encroachment of forest areas in all states and Union Territories in a prescribed format.
In a report submitted to the NGT last week, the ministry said that as of March 2024, a total of 13,05,668.1 hectares (or 13,056 sq km) of forest area was under encroachment in 25 states and UTs that have provided data so far.
These states and UTs are Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Dadar & Nagar and Daman & Diu, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Maharashtra, Odisha, Puducherry, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Sikkim Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram and Manipur.
States and UTs, which are still to submit the data and details on forest encroachment, are Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan, Telangana, West Bengal, Nagaland, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Forest area or The Recorded Forest Area (RFA) includes land officially designated as forest by the government, even if it does not have tree cover.
RFA is further divided into three categories: reserved forests, which have full protection, with activities like hunting and grazing generally banned; protected forests, where some activities are allowed unless specifically restricted; and unclassed forests, which are not classified as reserved or protected.
According to the ministry's report, Madhya Pradesh had the highest forest encroachment among all states and UTs, with 5,460.9 sq km affected as of March 2024.
Assam has 3,620.9 sq km of forest area under encroachment.
A total of 863.08 sq km of forest land in Karnataka is under encroachment, followed by 575.54 sq km in Maharashtra, 534.9 sq km in Arunachal Pradesh, 405.07 sq km in Odisha, 264.97 sq km in Uttar Pradesh, 247.72 sq km in Mizoram, 200.40 sq km in Jharkhand and 168.91 sq km in Chhattisgarh.
Tamil Nadu has 157.68 sq km of encroached forest land, Andhra Pradesh 133.18 sq km, Gujarat 130.08 sq km, Punjab 75.67 sq km, Uttarakhand 49.92 sq km and Kerala 49.75 sq km, 42.42 sq km in Tripura, 37.42 sq km in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and 32.7 sq km in Manipur.
The ministry's report said that encroachment has been removed from 409.77 sq km of forest land so far. However, it is unclear whether this area was excluded from the total forest land under encroachment as of March 2024.
The ministry informed the NGT that it had asked states to submit data through letters sent on May 1, May 17 and May 28 last year. States and UTs were also reminded multiple times over the phone and a meeting was held with them on November 11.
The ministry sent further reminder letters on February 22 and March 26 this year, asking the remaining states and UTs to provide the information in a tabulated format.
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Leopard strays into house near Bengaluru family locks it inside
Bengaluru, Apr 3 (PTI): A family in Jigani on the outskirts of Bengaluru had a close encounter with a leopard that wandered into their home on Thursday morning. Acting swiftly, they locked the big cat inside and escaped unhurt, a forest official confirmed.
The incident occurred at Pilla Reddy Layout, where Venkatesh, his wife Venkatalakshmi, and their son Nikhil reside in a rented house.
Jigani, located near the forested Bannerghatta National Park, frequently sees wildlife movement, including leopards and elephants, the forest official added.
As the family prepared for the day, they were startled to find the leopard inside their home.
Overcoming their initial panic, they managed to rush out and secure the door from the outside.
Venkatesh then alerted neighbours and informed the police and forest department.
A forest team promptly arrived, tranquilised the animal, and safely caged it.
Meanwhile, a large crowd gathered to witness the rescue operation.
Police were deployed to maintain order and prevent any untoward incidents.
