Rs 1,000 cr spent, but Haryana's forest cover grows by just 12 sq km

Despite receiving nearly Rs 1,000 crore in Central funds over the past five years for afforestation and conservation, Haryana’s forest cover increased by just 12.26 square kilometres between 2019 and 2023.

This was revealed by Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh in a written reply to an unstarred question raised by Ambala Congress MP Varun Chaudhary in the Lok Sabha.

As per the India State of Forest Report (ISFR), Haryana’s forest area rose marginally from 1,602 sq km in 2019 to 1,614.26 sq km in 2023.

In contrast, Himachal Pradesh recorded a 146.35 sq km increase, J&K saw a rise of 224.39 sq km, and Punjab witnessed a slight decline of 2.91 sq km during the same period.

“Despite spending that much money, Haryana has the least forest cover in the country,” said MP Varun Chaudhary, speaking to ‘The Tribune’.

The funds were released under various centrally sponsored schemes such as the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), Green India Mission (GIM), Forest Fire Prevention and Management Scheme (FPM) and the Nagar Van Yojana (NVY).

According to the Centre’s data, Rs 982.08 crore was allocated under CAMPA, Rs 7.88 crore under GIM, Rs 4.49 crore under Nagar Van Yojana, and Rs 0.17 crore under FPM — taking the total to Rs 994.62 crore in five years.

Even looking at a 10-year trend from 2013 to 2023, Haryana managed to add just 30.88 sq km to its forest area. In contrast, Himachal Pradesh added 897.35 sq km, J&K added 398.12 sq km, Punjab added 55.31 sq km, and Ladakh — a high-altitude desert — recorded an impressive 807.92 sq km increase in forest cover.

Raising serious concerns about implementation, G Raman, former CEO of CAMPA, Haryana, had written to the Centre on March 28, 2024, seeking a probe into compensatory afforestation on “unapproved” sites in the state.

Responding to the concerns, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Vineet Garg said satellite-based ISFR reports may not reflect the actual ground situation.

“Trees are cut due to developmental activities like road widening, irrigation projects and even setting up petrol pumps,” Garg explained.

“The afforestation activity done in return for such projects may become visible only after five to 10 years.”