Assam reclaims forest land, enhancing conservation efforts

Guwahati: The Assam government has successfully cleared over 10,000 hectares of forest land from encroachments in the last five years. This effort is part of a broader initiative to conserve the region's forests and wildlife. Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, provided these details in response to questions from Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi. The minister noted that significant progress has been made in ecological restoration and protecting the environment. Since 2019, more than 22,791 hectares of land have been planted with trees under various schemes. Among these projects, the Assam Project on Forest and Biodiversity Conservation (APFBC) Phase-II has seen 12,032 hectares of new plantations. Additionally, the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) scheme has added another 10,759 hectares since 2020. To improve forest protection, a new battalion of the Assam Forest Protection Force has been established, along with the hiring of about 2,000 new forest staff in 2023. Furthermore, the "Amrit Brikshya Andolan" initiative has planted over 43 million seedlings outside forest areas in 2023 and 2024. The minister also reminded the public that the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980, prohibits deforestation or non-forestry use of forest land, except for re-afforestation activities.