Bhubaneswar: A total of 14,433 hectares of forest land have been diverted for 176 mining projects in Odisha during the last 10 years, Odisha’s Forest, Environment and Climate Change minister Ganesh Ram Singkhuntia told the state Assembly on Tuesday.
In a written reply to MLA Sofia Firdous’ question, Singkhuntia informed that 11,214 hectares have been transferred and mutated in favour of the Forest department for compensatory afforestation (CA) purposes, of which CA plantations on 4,228 hectares have been raised, PTI reported.
As much as 8,676 hectares of forest land were diverted in Rourkela circle of the department, while 3,794 hectares were diverted in Angul circle, 492 hectares in Koraput circle, 470 hectares in Baripada circle and 0.073 hectare in Sambalpur circle for mining projects during the past decade.
The minister added that no forest land has been diverted in Bhubaneswar, Bhawanipatna and Berhampur circles for mining activities.
