Visakhapatnam: In Andhra Pradesh, post-bifurcation, the highest number of clearances from the Forest Department have been given to road construction projects. According to data recorded by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, 39 out of 77, about 50 per cent, of the forest clearance applications filed between 2014 and 2017 have been for the laying of roads on forest lands, and they have been cleared.
The MOEF has accorded the State Government with the power to divert up to five hectares of forest land without clearance from the Centre. Most projects which require less than five hectares are easily awarded forest clearances. Environmentalists believe that the MOEF should monitor small patches of forest land as well. In its last audit, which was conducted in 2013, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) found mismatches in the data regarding land diversion as recorded by the State Government and the MOEF.
Dr M.R.G. Reddy, the Head of the Ministry of Environment and Forest Regional Office (AP, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry), says, “In Andhra Pradesh, power is delegated to the Forest Department to divert up to five hectares of land depending on the purpose. For instance, Naxal-related purposes are given priority and clearances are issued at the earliest. However, for every inch of forest land, the government has to submit an application, and the details are tracked by the Ministry.” He adds that monitoring of the diversion of forest land is not a problem. “For every diversion, the State Government is required to release a government order, in order to maintain transparency. As the application is filed online, we receive details about the land cleared for diversion and the stage in which the work is in,” he says.
Forest officials in the state say that the diversion of even a small patch of forest land is notified through a GO. They say that there may sometimes be a mismatch between the state data and the MOEF data because of delays in the monitoring of applications and updating of the MOEF website.
