Shillong: Meghalaya has recorded the lowest compensatory afforestation coverage in the country, achieving only 22.3 per cent of its target, according to a report submitted by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) to the Supreme Court earlier this month.
The state managed to plant just 114.56 hectares of land against a target of 514.76 hectares between 2019-20 and 2023-24, the report said. The CEC was appointed by the Supreme Court as part of monitoring and ensuring environmental compliance in the landmark TN Godavarman Thirumulpad vs Union of India (1995) case.
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In contrast, Gujarat, Chandigarh, Mizoram, and Madhya Pradesh reported full achievement of their compensatory afforestation targets. Other poor performers included Tamil Nadu (32.3%), Manipur (37.9%), West Bengal (39.2%), Kerala (39.7%), and Andhra Pradesh (40.1%).
Nationally, India achieved 85 per cent of its compensatory afforestation target, raising plantations over 1,78,261 hectares against a target of 2,09,297 hectares.
Madhya Pradesh emerged as one of the top performers, planting 21,746.82 hectares — slightly exceeding its target of 21,107.68 hectares. Karnataka nearly achieved its full target as well, covering 2,761.26 hectares against 2,775.12 hectares.
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Other high-performing states included Arunachal Pradesh (96.6%), Uttar Pradesh (96.4%), Assam (93.8%), Sikkim (92.3%), and Punjab (89.9%).
The compensatory afforestation regime is a key part of India’s forest conservation framework. Under Supreme Court directives, when forest land is diverted for non-forest purposes, user agencies are required to fund afforestation efforts on non-forest or degraded forest land to offset ecological loss.