The National Green Tribunal directed forest officials in Madhya Pradesh on February 4, 2026, to submit a detailed report on the utilization of Rs 27 crore deposited for compensatory tree plantation in Sagar and Chhatarpur districts, according to court documents.
The tribunal’s Central Zone Bench in Bhopal ordered the Chief Conservator of Forest of both districts to explain why plantation work has not begun despite substantial funds being available since trees were cut for the Bharat Mala highway project.
Funds Deposited But No Plantation Work Started
The National Highway Authority of India deposited approximately Rs 27 crore into the CAMPA fund for tree plantation, the court order stated. The Sagar North Forest Division received Rs 19.54 crore while the Chhatarpur Forest Division received Rs 8.34 crore.
“Despite this, the ground reality remains unchanged as plantation work has yet to begin,” the court order noted. The tribunal observed that a substantial environmental issue has been breached.
The tribunal took suo moto cognizance of the matter after a news report appeared in national newspaper on December 21, 2025.
Justice Sheo Kumar Singh and Expert Member Sudhir Kumar Chaturvedi issued the directive during a video conference hearing. The bench called the situation misutilization or non-utilization of allocated funds that is adversely affecting the green belt.
The trees were felled for the construction of the Sagar-Hirapur bypass and Mohari-Sathya valley section under the Bharat Mala project, a national highway development initiative in Sagar and Chhatarpur districts of Madhya Pradesh.
What Information Officials Must Provide
The tribunal directed forest officials to provide specific information in their report. Officials must state the total number of trees allowed to be cut in both districts for the highway project and how many trees have actually been felled.
The report must include details of fund utilization with site-wise plantation information and the major tree species planted. Forest officials must conduct fresh monitoring and report the survival percentage of any trees that have been planted.
The Chief Conservator of Forest must also submit an action plan for utilizing any remaining funds and outline plantation activities to be carried out, according to the court order.
The tribunal gave officials four weeks to file the action taken report. The matter will be heard next on April 17, 2026. The court specified that the report must be filed via email atย ngtczbbho-mp@gov.inย in searchable PDF format, not as image files.
Why Compensatory Afforestation Matters
The case highlights concerns about compensatory afforestation, a legal requirement under the Forest Conservation Act. When forest land is diverted for non-forest purposes like highway construction, project authorities must deposit funds for plantation on an equivalent area of non-forest land.
CAMPA, or Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority, manages these funds at both central and state levels. The funds are meant to ensure that tree cover lost to development projects is compensated through plantation elsewhere.
The tribunal’s intervention comes amid growing scrutiny of how compensatory afforestation funds are utilized across India. Environmental groups have long raised concerns that such funds often remain unspent or are poorly utilized, defeating the purpose of environmental compensation.
The Bharat Mala project aims to optimize the national highway network by bridging critical infrastructure gaps. However, such large infrastructure projects often require forest land clearance and tree felling.
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