Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023 Gets Green Light from Lok Sabha

On Wednesday, the Lok Sabha passed the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill-2023, legislation aiming to remove land within 100 km of the country's borders from conservation laws' restrictions. This change will permit the establishment of zoos, safaris, and eco-tourism facilities within forest regions. Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav responded to a short debate before the bill's passage.

Once the bill, which modifies the Forest (Conservation) Act, was passed, the Lok Sabha adjourned as opposition members continued protesting the ethnic violence in Manipur.

Despite the opposition's vocal protests, demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement on the Manipur issue in Parliament, the Lok Sabha proceeded to consider and pass the bill. In response to the debate on the bill, Yadav stated that while social forestry has been promoted, people have been reluctant due to the fear of being unable to harvest trees grown on private land. He pointed out that India's agro-forestry imports, especially teak and other woods, are substantial. The new bill, according to Yadav, includes provisions to foster agro-forestry.

Yadav went on to explain that the bill excludes certain land types from the Act's stipulations, such as forest land along a rail line or a public road maintained by the government to provide access to a habitation, railway, and roadside amenities up to a maximum size of 0.10 hectare.

The bill further exempts land within 100 km along international borders, Line of Control, or Line of Actual Control, which are proposed to be used to construct strategic linear projects of national importance or security.

In addition, it exempts up to 10 hectares of land proposed for constructing security-related infrastructure or defense-related projects, camps for paramilitary forces, or a public utility project specified by the central government not exceeding five hectares in a left-wing extremism-affected area.

Yadav underscored that the Forest (Conservation) Act and the Forest Rights Act are complementary, with no conflicting elements between the two pieces of legislation.

In addition, the bill aims to enable the central government to define, through an order, the terms and conditions under which any form of survey, including reconnaissance, prospecting, investigation, or exploration, inclusive of seismic surveys, will not be considered as a non-forest purpose.