Telangana forms committee to identify deemed forests

The Telangana government has formed a new expert committee to identify forest lands. This is happening nearly 30 years after a Supreme Court ruling in 1996. The ruling required state governments to assess areas considered "deemed forests" that are not part of designated reserves. The 1996 judgment expanded the definition of forests beyond legal boundaries. It includes all forested lands, whether government-owned or private. Under the Forest Conservation Act of 1980, these lands are treated like official forests. While the Supreme Court had ordered states to set up committees to identify deemed forests, few have done so until now. Recently, the central government made a change to the Forest Conservation Act, which brought the issue of deemed forests back into focus. In February 2024, the Supreme Court instructed all states and Union Territories to send data on deemed forests to the Ministry of Environment by March 31, 2024. In response, Telangana submitted a report that estimated the forest area at over 43 lakh acres. However, this number is significantly lower than the 66 lakh acres indicated in a national forest report. Realizing the mistake in the data, the Telangana government retracted its report. On March 15, 2025, it established a committee to accurately identify forest lands and prepare a consolidated record. The committee includes various state officials, with the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests as the lead. It is required to submit its findings within one month.