PREAMBLE

(No. 69 of 1980)
An Act to provide for the conservation of forests and for matters connected
therewith or ancillary or incidental thereto
Be it enacted by arliament in the !hirty"first year of the #ep$blic of %ndia as
follows &
1. SHORT TITLE, EXTENT AND COMMENCEMENT.
(1) !his Act may be called the 'orest ((onservation) Act) 1980.
(*) %t e+tends to the whole of %ndia e+cept the ,tate of -amm$ and .ashmir.
(/) %t shall be deemed to have come into force on the *0th day of 1ctober) 1980.
2. RESTRICTION ON THE PRESERVATION OF FORESTS OR USE OF
FOREST LAND FOR NON-FOREST PURPOSE.
Notwithstandin2 anythin2 contained in any other law for the time bein2 in force
in a ,tate) no ,tate 3overnment or other a$thority shall ma4e) e+cept with the
prior approval of the (entral 3overnment) any order directin2 "
(i) !hat any reserved forest (within the meanin2 of the e+pression 5reserved
forest5 in any law for the time bein2 in force in that ,tate) or any portion thereof)
shall cease to be reserved.
(ii) !hat any forest land or any portion thereof may be $sed for any non"forest
p$rpose.
(iii) !hat any forest land or any portion thereof may be assi2ned by way of lease
or otherwise to any private person or to any a$thority) corporation) a2ency or any
other or2anisation not owned) mana2ed or controlled by 3overnment6
(iv) !hat any forest land or any portion thereof may be cleared of trees which
have 2rown nat$rally in that land or portion) for the p$rpose of $sin2 it for
reforestation.
7+planation & 'or the p$rpose of this section 5non"forest p$rpose5 means the
brea4in2 $p or clearin2 of any forest land or portion thereof for "
(a) !he c$ltivation of tea) coffee) spices) r$bber) palms) oil"bearin2 plants)
hortic$lt$ral crops or medicinal plants6
(b) Any p$rpose other than reforestation) b$t does not incl$de any wor4 relatin2
or ancillary to conservation) development and mana2ement of forests and wild
life) namely) the establishment of chec4"posts) fire lines) wireless
comm$nications and constr$ction of fencin2) brid2es and c$lverts) dams)
waterholes) trench mar4s) bo$ndary mar4s) pipelines or other li4e p$rposes.
3. CONSTITUTION OF ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
!he (entral 3overnment may constit$te a (ommittee consistin2 of s$ch n$mber
of persons as it may deem fit to advise that 3overnment with re2ard to "
(i) !he 2rant of approval $nder ,ection *6 and
(ii) Any other matter connected with the conservation of forest which may be
referred to it by the (entral 3overnment.
3-A. PENALTY FOR CONTRAVENTION OF THE PROVISIONS OF THE ACT.
8hoever contravenes or abets the contravention of any of the provisions of
,ection *) shall be p$nishable with simple imprisonment for a period which may
e+tend to fifteen days.

3-B. OFFENCES BY AUTHORITIES AND GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS.
(1) 8here any offence $nder this Act has been committed "
(a) by any department of 3overnment) the head of the department6 or
(b) by any a$thority) every person) who) at the time the offence was committed)
was directly in char2e) of) and was responsible to) the a$thority for the cond$ct
of the b$siness of the a$thority as well as the a$thority) shall be deemed to be
2$ilty of the offence and shall be liable to be proceeded a2ainst and p$nished
accordin2ly&
rovided that nothin2 contained in this s$b"section shall render the head of the
department or any person referred to in cla$se (b)) liable to any p$nishment if he
proves that the offence was committed witho$t his 4nowled2e or that he
e+ercised all d$e dili2ence to prevent the commission of s$ch offence.
(*) Notwithstandin2 anythin2 contained in s$b"section (1)) where an offence
p$nishable $nder the Act has been committed by a department of 3overnment or
any a$thority referred to in cla$se (b) of s$b"section (1) and it is proved that the
offence has been committed with the consent or connivance of) or is attrib$table
to any ne2lect on the part of) any officer) other than the head of the department)
or in the case of any a$thority) any person other than the persons referred to in
cla$se (b) of s$b"section (1)) s$ch officer or persons shall also be deemed to be
2$ilty of that offence and shall be liable to be proceeded a2ainst and p$nished
accordin2ly.
4. POWER TO MAKE RULES.
(1) !he (entral 3overnment may) be notification in the 1fficial 3a9ette) ma4e
r$les for carryin2 o$t the provisions of this Act.
(*) 7very r$le made $nder this Act shall be laid) as soon as may be) after it is
made) before each :o$se of arliament) while it is in session) for a total period of
thirty days which may be comprised in one session or in two or more s$ccessive
sessions and if) before the e+piry of the session immediately followin2 the session
or the s$ccessive sessions aforesaid) both :o$ses a2ree in ma4in2 any
modification in the r$le or both :o$ses a2ree that the r$le sho$ld not be made)
the r$le shall thereafter have effect only in s$ch modified form or be of no effect)
as the case may be) so) however) that any s$ch modification or ann$lment shall
be witho$t pre;$dice to the validity of anythin2 previo$sly done $nder that r$le.
. REPEAL AND SAVING.
(1) !he 'orest ((onservation) 1rdinance) 1980 is hereby repealed.
(*) Notwithstandin2 s$ch repeal) anythin2 done or any action ta4en $nder the
provisions of the said 1rdinance shall be deemed to have been done or ta4en
$nder the correspondin2 provisions of this Act.