Bullet train project involves 5.847 ha of forest land in state of Gujarat

New Delhi: In reply to questions:

-whether it is a fact that Government proposes to cut 13.36 hectares of Mangrove forest in the Thane creek of Maharashtra for the Bullet Train Project;

– if so, the details thereof; and

-the action Gover

asked by Rajkumar Dhoot in Rajya Sabha,

Babul Suriyo, MoS Enviornment, Forest and Climate Chance said:

The Bullet train project of the National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHRC) is of utmost public importance for connecting and reducing the travel time between Mumbai and Ahmadabad.

The project involves 131.302 ha of forest land in the state of Maharashtra and 5.847 ha of forest land in state of Gujarat (Total forest area of 137.149 ha. including 24.137 ha mangrove forest area). A total of 53,467 mangrove trees are to be removed as part of the project.

However, the removal of these trees are taken up under the strict supervision of State Forest Department and minimum number of trees are felled.

In such cases as part of the approval, compensatory afforestation scheme has been stipulated over 274.298 hectares of degraded forest land with plantation of 1,65,625 number of plants and 1,09,985 number of mangrove plants. Further, Net Present Value (NPV) is also levied from the user agency, as a cost of ecosystem services.

Such compensatory afforestation is monitored by the field functionaries of the State Forest Departments and also time to time by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change through its Regional Offices.

DeshGujarat