Objections overruled, Forest Bill goes to House unchanged
Objections overruled, Forest Bill goes to House unchanged
A Parliamentary committee, set up to examine controversial proposed amendments to the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, has endorsed the amendment Bill in its entirety. The Hindu has viewed a draft copy of the report prepared by the 31-member joint committee on the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bil...
The proposed amendments to the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 have attracted objections on various grounds:
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‘Dilution’ of the Supreme Court’s 1996 judgment in the Godavarman case that extended protection to wide tracts of forests, even if they were not recorded as forests
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In geographically sensitive areas within 100 km of the International Borders or the Line of Control, no forest clearance required to construct highways, hydel power projects and so on
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No Central protection for vast tracts of so-called ‘deemed forest’ (forests not officially recorded as forests) and permitting activities such as tourism, compromising their integrity