New data presented in Parliament shows that road construction has driven the largest diversion of forest land in India over the past five years. In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, the Union environment ministry reported that more than 22,000 hectares of forest have been cleared to make way for road projects since 2020.
According to the ministry, a total of 22,233.44 hectares of forest area were diverted for road building, making it the biggest category of forest loss during this period. Mining projects accounted for 18,913.64 hectares, while hydropower and irrigation projects led to the diversion of 17,434.38 hectares. Power transmission lines were another major driver, requiring 13,859.31 hectares of forest clearance. For perspective, the entire Corbett Tiger Reserve covers around 52,100 hectares, meaning that almost half of that area has been lost to development projects since 2020.
Minister of state for external affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh shared these figures in response to questions from AITC MP Dola Sen on environmental and forest clearances granted or rejected by the Centre over the last five years. Singh told the House that the government approved 1,766 environmental clearances during this period, with infrastructure projects receiving the highest number at 582.
Breaking down forest clearances in 2024–25, Singh said approvals included one airport project, 298 communication posts, 409 drinking water projects, 41 mining initiatives, 500 road projects and 21 industrial developments among others. He explained that people affected by land acquisition are entitled to fair compensation and rehabilitation under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. He added that during the environmental clearance process, expert committees consider the rehabilitation status of affected families and may impose conditions to ensure compliance, which must be reported twice a year.
In a separate response to the shipping ministry, members sought clarity on whether cumulative-impact studies and free, prior and informed consent exercises had been carried out for the planned transshipment port at Galathea Bay in Great Nicobar. Ports and shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal said multiple ecological and risk studies were done as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment process. However, he noted that court cases concerning environmental and coastal regulation clearances for the project are ongoing, and therefore it would not be appropriate to comment on the matter in detail.
The Centre has proposed four major developments in Great Nicobar: an international container transshipment terminal, a greenfield international airport, a gas and solar-based power plant and township, and wider area development projects. Together, these plans would require a total of 166.10 square kilometres of land in one of India’s most ecologically sensitive regions.