Mumbai, Sep 9 (IANS) In a major initiative aimed at balancing rapid industrial development with environmental conservation, the Maharashtra Forest Department has established a comprehensive district-wise Land Bank to streamline land allocation for compensatory afforestation.

Conceptualised by Forest Minister Ganesh Naik under the leadership of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the initiative aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Viksit Bharat” vision.

The decision addresses long-standing bureaucratic delays in obtaining forest clearances under the Forest (Conservation and Development) Act, 1980. Currently, the state requires compensatory afforestation on an average of 2,000 to 3,000 hectares of degraded forest land and 1,000 to 2,000 hectares of non-forest land annually. Identifying suitable, encumbrance-free parcels and executing inter-departmental transfers has historically been a time-consuming barrier to major infrastructure works, including national highways, railways, bullet train corridors, transmission lines, and port developments.

Through joint field assessments conducted by revenue and forest officials, the state has identified and compiled extensive land records across all districts. About 33,056 hectares of Degraded Forest Land are identified for projects eligible for double-degraded forest afforestation, such as central government ventures and power transmission lines: Nashik Region: 9,002 hectares, Nagpur Region: 8,109 hectares, Amravati Region: 5,724 hectares, Pune Region: 5,330 hectares, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Region: 4,179 hectares and Konkan Region: 712 hectares.

Further, 7,546 Hectares of non-forest land have been provided by district collectors across revenue divisions comprising Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: 2,689 hectares, Nashik: 2,525 hectares, Amravati: 1,153 hectares, Pune: 640 hectares, Konkan: 408 hectares and Nagpur: 131 hectares, said a government statement.

To ensure seamless execution, the Land Bank details are digitised and published on public web portals, including mahaforest.gov.in/DFLLandBank for degraded forest land and landdashboard.mahabhumi.gov.in for non-forest land. Before inclusion, each land parcel undergoes rigorous verification to confirm it is encroachment-free, clear of legal encumbrances, and ecologically suitable for afforestation. Non-forest land transferred by project agencies will be formally declared as “Reserved Forest” under Section 4 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927, permanently expanding Maharashtra’s overall forest cover.

By creating a transparent, central inventory, state authorities aim to eliminate project bottlenecks, ensure robust compensatory plantations, and achieve a sustainable equilibrium between infrastructure growth and ecological protection, said the release.

–IANS

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