Centre not received proposal from Karnataka to lease forest lands to Mysore Paper Mills: Kirti Vardhan Singh

New Delhi: The Centre has informed Lok Sabha on Monday that it has not received any proposal from Karnataka for renewal of lease period and approval for management plan for plantation of pulpwood for Mysore Paper Mill (MPM), Bhadravathi.

"The proposals for diversion of forest land for non-forestry purposes / grant of the lease are processed online through PARIVESH (“Pro Active and Responsive facilitation by Interactive and Virtuous Environmental Single window Hub”) portal," Minister of state for the Ministry of Environment and Forests Kirti Vardhan Singh said in his written answer.

Replying to a question from BJP Shimoga Lok Sabha member B Y Raghavendra, the Minister said as per the information available, the Central Government has not received any proposal for ex-post facto renewal of lease of forest land to the Mysore Paper Mills Ltd (MPM) Bhadravathi from Karnataka.

Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwara Khandre recently met Union Forest and Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and urged him to grant 20,000 forest land to MPM factory on a 40-year lease for non forestry activities.

In 1980, forest lands in Shivamogga, Chikamagaluru and Uttara Kannada were granted to the MPM factory for a 40-year lease.

Since the lease period ended in 2020, the state government again granted permission for another 40-year lease and wrote to the Centre for its approval in 2020. However, the Centre took objection to it saying that prior to its approval the state could not grant permission for any forest land for non forestry activities.