PANAJI
More than 280 hectares (ha) of forest land in Goa has been diverted for non-forest purposes between April 1, 2021 and March 31, 2025, according to official data tabled in the Rajya Sabha.
Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh informed Parliament that a total of 280.65 ha of forest land was diverted for nearly 35 projects during the four-year period. The projects include an airport, road widening works, a power substation, power transmission lines, and railway double tracking.
The highest diversion was recorded in 2023–24 at 178.19 ha. In comparison, 97.65 ha was diverted in 2020–21. In recent years, 15.6 ha of forest land was cleared for the Kulem–Madgaon railway double-tracking project.
For the current financial year, diversion of forest land has already been approved for 13 government and private projects.
The data also highlights infrastructure expansion proposals cutting through ecologically sensitive areas. Goa has proposed expansion of a 53-metre stretch of the Goa–Belagavi highway, which would involve felling 7,774 trees, even as the highway passes through the eco-sensitive zone of the Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary.
Meanwhile, as part of compensatory afforestation (CA) obligations, the State Forest Department plans to undertake plantation over 487.98 ha in a phased manner over three years. Of this, 130 ha is proposed to be taken up this year, while 178.49 ha each is planned for 2026–27 and 2027–28.
In September last year, the Union Ministry permitted Goa to utilise notified private forest land for raising compensatory afforestation, citing scarcity of suitable land. At present, 91.6 sq km of area in the State is notified as private forest.
