Section Text
Restriction on the dereservation 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 authority shall make, except with the prior approval of the Central Government, any order directing,-
(i) 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. 1 [(iii) 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). (Inserted by the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act (69 of 1988) S.2 dated 15-3-1989) [Explanation:- For the purposes of this section "non forest purpose" means the breaking up or clearing of any forest land or portion thereof for-
(a) 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.]