Bihar Forest Department Addresses Delays in National Highway Projects in Assembly

Chirag Gupta

Patna: In the Bihar Legislative Assembly, Dr. Prem Kumar, Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, responded to a short-notice question regarding delays in 13 National Highway projects, including the Varanasi-Kolkata and Ara-Sasaram stretches. He clarified that the delays were partially due to the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) failing to provide equivalent non-forest land for compensatory afforestation, as required by the Forest (Protection and Development) Rules, 2023.

The minister noted that the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC), New Delhi, has issued a notification granting exemptions for such projects under the Government of India. Based on this, compensatory afforestation proposals involving degraded forest land have been submitted. Stage-1 approval has been obtained for two projects, while five are pending approval at the regional office of the Government of India. Another five projects are under review at the state level, and one remains with the user agency.

Dr. Prem Kumar assured the Assembly that road construction work is not hindered by objections from the Department of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change. The department is actively working on pending approvals to facilitate progress on all 13 projects under NHAI. A written response addressing the matter has been provided to the Assembly.