HT DIGITAL
SHILLONG, JULY 29: Meghalaya has the lowest compensatory afforestation coverage in the country with only 22.3% having been achieved, according to a recent report submitted by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) to the Supreme Court. The report indicates glaring failures on the state’s part during the years 2019–20 to 2023–24, where the result stands at only 114.56 hectares as compared to the planned 514.76 hectares of plantation.
The CEC was established by the Supreme Court as part of ongoing supervision in the iconic TN Godavarman Thirumulpad vs Union of India (1995) case, which had kickstarted judicial monitoring of forest protection and compliance in the country. The recent report of the committee flags the growing concern over Meghalaya’s inability to meet its ecological restoration commitments, especially in the backdrop of national initiatives to minimize environmental degradation due to deforestation.
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While Meghalaya was lagging behind, a couple of states performed well. Gujarat, Chandigarh, Mizoram, and Madhya Pradesh met 100% of compensatory afforestation. Madhya Pradesh performed better than expected, with 21,746.82 hectares planted compared to its target of 21,107.68 hectares. Karnataka was almost fully compliant, with 2,761.26 hectares planted against a target of 2,775.12 hectares.
At the national level, India achieved a total of 85% in compensatory afforestation, where plantation was augmented over 1,78,261 hectares out of a total area of 2,09,297 hectares. Arunachal Pradesh (96.6%), Uttar Pradesh (96.4%), Assam (93.8%), Sikkim (92.3%), and Punjab (89.9%) were some of the top-performing states.
But while with Meghalaya, the other states underperformed. Tamil Nadu attained only 32.3% of its target, Manipur attained 37.9%, West Bengal attained 39.2%, Kerala attained 39.7%, and Andhra Pradesh attained 40.1%, indicating a broader regional pattern of underperformance in India’s southern and eastern regions. The policy of compensatory afforestation is the fulcrum of India’s conservation policy for its forests. Diversion of forestland for non-forest uses, as per the Supreme Court, is to be compensated through afforestation on an equal extent of non-forest or degraded forest land by the agency utilizing the forestland. The goal is to prevent ecological loss and maintain the country’s forest cover—a promise that takes on more significance in the context of climate change and mounting developmental pressures.
