India forest land diversions for development

In mid‑July 2026 the Forest Advisory Committee gave in‑principle clearance for specific mining projects in Odisha and Chhattisgarh, authorising the diversion of about 750 ha of forest for the Alakananda coal block and additional approvals for other coal and iron‑ore sites. The approvals detailed the scale of tree felling, family displacement and required wildlife safeguards.

Later that month, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change released aggregate data for the period 1 April 2023 – 31 March 2026, showing that a total of 71,023 ha of forest land had been approved for non‑forest uses nationwide. The largest diversions occurred in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, covering sectors such as mining, hydro‑irrigation, roads, power lines, defence and rail. Compensatory afforestation of 178,261 ha was reported, with varying tree‑survival rates across states.

Together, the snapshots illustrate a shift from isolated project‑level clearances to a broader picture of extensive forest‑land reallocation across multiple states and development sectors.