Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980
2. Restriction on the de-reservation of
forests or use of forest land for non-forest purpose. –
Notwithstanding anything contained in any
other law for the time being in force in a State, no State Government or other
authority shall make, except with the prior approval of the Central Government,
any order directing -
that any reserved forest (within the meaning
of the expression "reserved forest" in any law for the time being in
force in that State) or any portion thereof, shall cease to be reserved;
(ii) that any forest land or any portion
thereof may be used for any non-forest purpose;
(iii) (1)[that any forest land or any portion thereof
may be assigned by way of lease or otherwise to any private person or to any
authority, corporation, agency or any other organization not owned, managed or
controlled by Government;
(iv) that any forest land or any portion
thereof may be cleared of trees which have grown naturally in that land or
portion, for the purpose of using it for reforestation].(2)
[Explanation- For the purposes of this
section "non-forest purpose" means the breaking up or clearing of any
forest land or portion thereof for-
the cultivation of tea, coffee, spices,
rubber, palms, oil-bearing plants, horticulture crops or medicinal plants;
b) any purpose other than reforestation, but
does not include any work relating or ancillary to conservation, development
and management of forests and wild-life, namely, the establishment of
check-posts, fire lines, wireless communications and construction of fencing,
bridges and culverts, dams, waterholes, trench marks, boundary marks, pipelines
or other like purposes].