Section 2:
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 other 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 reafforestation.]
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
(a) the cultivation of tea, coffee, spices, rubber, palms, oil-bearing plants, horticultural crops or
medicinal plants;
(b) any purpose other than reafforestation,
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.]
Notes:
1. Ins. by Act 69 of 1988, s. 2 (w.e.f. 15-3-1989).
2. Subs. by s. 2, ibid., for the Explanation (w.e.f. 15-3-1989).