Despite dissent from environmentalists, Forest Conservation (Amendment) Bill passed in Lok Sabha
On Wednesday, July 26, the contentious Forest Conservation (Amendment) Bill passed in Lok Sabha. The bill was opposed by many environmentalists, who had written to the Forest Ministry recently to not to adopt the Bill.
The Bill has diluted forest rights. It has done away with the protection for unclassed forests. These forests, however, form a large proportion of forestland in India, by some estimates, as much as 15 per cent.
The other contentious part of the Bill is the permission it grants for construction and other activities on forests 100 km within the international border for strategic reasons. This will be a major issue in the northeast, where a lot of the fragile forests areas fall within 100 km of the border.
The forest and environment minister said in Parliament that the Bill would ensure protection for unclassed forests but it is anybody’s guess how much such assurances count for, considering this government’s patchy record in forest protection.
