Forest Clearance

Forest Clearance (FC) is required when a hydropower project involves the diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes. This clearance is governed by the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, and the Forest Conservation Rules, 2022, and is processed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) through the state forest department.

Given that Arunachal Pradesh has over 80% forest cover, most hydropower projects require some degree of forest clearance.

Forest Clearance Process

• Stage I (In-Principle Approval) — Preliminary assessment and approval by MoEFCC based on the proposal
• Stage II (Final Approval) — Granted after compliance with Stage I conditions including compensatory afforestation
• Processing involves review by the State Forest Department, Regional Office of MoEFCC, and the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC)

Requirements

• Detailed forest land diversion proposal with survey maps
• Enumeration of trees to be felled and timber valuation
• Compensatory Afforestation (CA) plan with identified non-forest land
• Payment of Net Present Value (NPV) of forest land
• Wildlife clearance (if applicable) from the National Board for Wildlife

State Coordination

• The state Forest Department processes and forwards proposals to MoEFCC
• The Department of Hydropower Development coordinates with developers to ensure complete submissions
• Regular review meetings are held to track the status of pending forest clearance applications