ROPAR: In spite of huge investments in plantations for the past more than 10 years, Punjab continues to have one of the lowest forest cover in the country in terms of percentage.

As per the latest report of the Forest Survey of India, Punjab has just 3.09 per cent area under forest.
 
As per the last one also Punjab was at the bottom in terms of area under forests. As per the latest survey just Delhi had the lower forest cover than Punjab in terms of area under green cover.

As per the latest report Rajasthan and Haryana have performed better than Punjab. Rajasthan has 4.63 per cent of its total area under forests while Haryana has 3.59 per cent.

The reports reveal that Haryana has 1,587 sq km under forest cover against 1,558 sq km in Punjab. Rajasthan has 15,850 sq km under forest cover.

Further, there is no dense forest cover left in the state. The state has 723 sq km moderately dense forest, 835 sq km of open forest and 15 sq km of scrub forest.

The only consoling point is that the report has indicated 13 sq km increase in forest cover in the state.

The report has also brought up interesting data that may help those opposing abolition of Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA) in the state.

However, as per the report of the 1,558 sq km left with the state 55 per cent is under the ownership of panchayats, committees and individuals in the Shivalik hills and is managed by the Forest Department under the Act.

The forest cover has failed to increase in the state despite the fact that hundreds of crores have been spent by the Department of Forests on afforestation programs under a Japan Bank-aided scheme.

Meanwhile, Chief Justice, Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice Varinder Jain in a PIL filed against felling in the state had observed that at least 17 per cent forest cover was required for sustainable development of any state.