Madhya Pradesh Forest Encroachment: Over 500 Hotspots and 637,629 Hectares Affected

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The Madhya Pradesh Forest Department has identified more than 500 hotspots across the state where forest encroachment is concentrated, officials said. The department is now using satellite imagery and manual patrols to monitor these areas. The move comes as encroachment and illegal tree felling typically rise after the monsoon when the rabi season begins.

According to the department's conservation wing, 637,629.23 hectares of forest land across all 55 districts are currently under encroachment. The highest concentrations are in the Nimar region and central districts. Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Amit Dubey said that during September and October 2026 alone, attempts to encroach on 10,000 hectares were stopped and an equal area of old encroachment was cleared. The department is comparing pre-monsoon satellite images from previous years with current images to detect new encroachments, Dubey added.

Which law governs forest rights and encroachment?

The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, commonly called the Forest Rights Act, recognises the rights of forest-dwelling communities over land they have occupied. The Indian Forest Act, 1927, is the principal colonial-era law that empowers state governments to declare reserved and protected forests and to act against encroachment. The Supreme Court in the Godavarman case, which began in 1995, has issued continuing directions on forest conservation and encroachment removal across India. The Forest Conservation Act, 1980, requires central government approval before forest land is diverted for non-forest purposes.

What is the scale of forest rights leases already granted?

Forest rights leases covering 958,000 hectares have been granted to 294,877 tribal families in Madhya Pradesh. Dubey said that all existing encroachment on forest land dates from after 2005, as those who were traditionally occupying land before that year have already received leases. He proposed a permanent stop to new forest rights lease applications, arguing that the prospect of such leases encourages fresh encroachment. This remains a proposal by an official, not a government decision.

How much plantation-project land is under encroachment?

The Madhya Pradesh Forest Development Corporation reported that of the 426,000 hectares allocated across 10 project divisions for restoring degraded forests and growing teak, 14,540.434 hectares were encroached. Of this, 1,549.992 hectares have been cleared, leaving 12,747.362 hectares still affected. Around 80% of the encroachment on plantation-project land is concentrated in just three districts: Sehore, Vidisha and Raisen.