Cong welcomes SC order on PILs challenging amendments to forest law

The Congress on Wednesday welcomed the Supreme Court's interim order restraining the Centre and states from taking any step that would reduce forest cover in the country, but said the issue is even more basic as compensatory afforestation is no substitute for the loss of biodiverse natural forests.

Senior Congress MP and former Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh said compensatory afforestation is an easy way out but should be resorted to only in the rarest of rare cases.

The Supreme Court bench of justices B.R. Gavai and K. Vinod Chandran issued the interim order while hearing a batch of petitions against the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023.

Congress general secretary (communications) Ramesh said the Supreme Court's interim order dated 3 February on various PILs challenging the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023, which he claimed had been "bulldozed" through Parliament, is welcome. The next date of hearing is 4 March, he said.

"The Supreme Court has directed that, until further orders, no additional steps should be taken by the Government of India or by the states that will lead to a reduction of the forest land unless compensatory land is provided for purpose of afforestation. However, the issue is even more basic. Compensatory afforestation is NO substitute for the loss of biodiverse natural forests," Ramesh said in a post on X.

Compensatory afforestation is an easy way out but should be resorted to only in the rarest of rare cases, Ramesh said. "Presently, it has become routine which is disastrous."

Ramesh also shared his statement from August 2023 after the Rajya Sabha passed The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act. He had then alleged that the manner in which the forest bill was "bulldozed" through Parliament reflected the Modi government's mindset and the "vast gap that exists between its global talk and domestic walk" on issues of environment, forests and tribal rights.