act 069 of 1980 : The Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980

Section 1. Short title, extent and commencement.

(1) This Act may be called the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.

(2) It extends to the whole of India ¹***.

(3) It shall be deemed to have come into force on the 25th day of October, 1980.

1. The words "except the State of Jammu and Kashmir" omitted by Act 34 of 2019, s. 95 and the Fifth Schedule (w.e.f. 31-10- 2019).

Rules
Regulations

Year	Description	Files
03-10-2003	Forest (Conservation) Rules, 2003.	Click to View
2004	Forest (Conservation) Amendment Rules, 2004	Click to View
2004	Corrigendum to the Forest(Conservation) Amendment Rules, 2004.	Click to View
2014	Forest (Conservation) Amendment Rules, 2014.	Click to View
10-10-2014	Forest (Conservation) Second Amendment Rules, 2014.	Click to View
2017	Forest (Conservation) Amendment Rules, 2017.	Click to View

Year	Description	Files
26-02-2019	Compliance of the Schedule Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006-regarding	Click to View
28-03-2019	Handbook of guidelines for effective and transparent implementation of the provisions of Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.	Click to View
02-04-2019	Proposals seeking diversion of forest land for non-foresrty purposesclarification on selection of land for Compensatory afforestation(CA) ? reg.	Click to View
20-05-2019	Order of the Hon'ble Supreme Court dated 28.01.2019 on I.A. No.3924/2015 in WP (Civil) 202/1995 regarding changing status of forest land to revenue land in case of voluntary relocation of villages, reg.	Click to View
21-05-2019	Clarification on applicability of Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 over RoW of Railways-regarding	Click to View

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.]

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).

Year	Description	Files
26-02-2019	Compliance of the Schedule Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006-regarding	Click to View
28-03-2019	Handbook of guidelines for effective and transparent implementation of the provisions of Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.	Click to View
02-04-2019	Proposals seeking diversion of forest land for non-foresrty purposesclarification on selection of land for Compensatory afforestation(CA) ? reg.	Click to View
20-05-2019	Order of the Hon'ble Supreme Court dated 28.01.2019 on I.A. No.3924/2015 in WP (Civil) 202/1995 regarding changing status of forest land to revenue land in case of voluntary relocation of villages, reg.	Click to View
21-05-2019	Clarification on applicability of Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 over RoW of Railways-regarding	Click to View
21-05-2019	Clarification on applicability of Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 over RoW of Railways-regarding	Click to View
22-05-2019	Proposal seeking diversion of forest land for non-forestry purposes under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 190 - Special consideration of compensatory afforestation in forest rich States-reg.	Click to View
22-05-2019	Proposal seeking diversion of forest land for non-forestry purposes under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 190 - Special consideration of compensatory afforestation in forest rich States ? reg.	Click to View
07-06-2019	Clarification on the Guidelines issued dated 17.04.2018 for diversion of forest land for non-forestry purpose under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.	Click to View
07-06-2019	Clarification on the Guidelines issued dated 17.04.2018 for diversion of forest land for non-forestry purpose under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.	Click to View
05-08-2019	Exclusion of Ropeway Projects from the ambit of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 and payment of NPV - reg.	Click to View
05-08-2019	Clarification regarding Linear Infrastructure (Conveyor belt) Linked to mining projects-reg.	Click to View
26-08-2019	Proposal seeking diversion of forest land for non-forestry purposes under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 ; Charging of lease rent of Rs. 30,000/- per MW in respect of Wind Power Projects ? regarding.	Click to View
26-08-2019	Inclusion of guidelines related to Tripartite Agreement for reafforestation and rehabilitations of degraded forest land ? reg.	Click to View
13-09-2019	mendments of Para 4.4.3 of Chapter-4 of the Guidelines given under the Handbook of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 ? reg.	Click to View
30-09-2019	Guidelines specific to hydrocarbon sector for undertaking 'seismic surveys and exploratory drilling in forest areas - reg.	Click to View

Year	Description	Files
08-06-2018	Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM) in Saranda and Chaibasa in Singhbhum district, Jharkhand	Click to View
17-07-2018	Clarification on Authorization of State Governments Powers to Principle Chief Conservator of Forests.	Click to View

Year	Description	Files
19-12-2017	Confirmation of online deposits made in Compensatory Afforestation fund by User Agency by without generating online challan from web portal clarification.	Click to View
20-03-2018	Double Charging of cost of the same Forest Produce by Forest Department from user Agencies while diverting Forest Land for Non-forestry purpose by violating the ordre of the Supreme Court dated 28.03.2008 and Government of India's letter dated 05.02.2009.	Click to View
17-05-2018	Display of Aadhar related information in web based Forest Clearance System.	Click to View
28-09-2018	Permission for tree cutting which are effecting track safety of railway between Salk Road- Bhanwartonk tonnel	Click to View

Section 2A.Appeal to National Green Tribunal.

¹[2A. Appeal to National Green Tribunal.—Any person aggrieved, by an order or decision of the State Government or other authority made under section 2, on or after the commencement of the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010, may file an appeal to the National Green Tribunal established under section 3 of the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010, in accordance with the provisions of that Act.]

1.Ins. by Act 19 of 2010, s. 36 and Schedule III (w.e.f. 18-10-2010).

Section 3. Constitution of Advisory Committee.

The Central Government may constitute a Committee consisting of such number of persons as it may deem fit to advise that Government with regard to--

(i) the grant of approval under section 2; and

(ii) any other matter connected with the conservation of forests which may be referred to it by the Central Government.

Section 3A.Penalty for contravention of the provisions of the Act.

¹[Whoever contravenes or abets the contravention or any of the provisions of section 2, shall be punishable with simple imprisonment for a period which may extend to fifteen days.]

1.Ins. by s. 3, ibid. (w.e.f. 15-3-1989).

Section 3B.Offences by authorities and Government departments.

¹[(1) Where any offence under this Act has been committed—

(a) by any department of Government, the head of the department; or

(b) by any authority, every person who, at the time the offence was committed, was directly in charge of, and was responsible to, the authority for the conduct of the business of the authority as well as the authority,

shall be deemed to be guilty of the offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly:

Provided that nothing contained in this sub-section shall render the head of the department or any person referred to in clause (b), liable to any punishment if the proves that the offence was committed without his knowledge or that exercised all due diligence to prevent the commission of such offence.

(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), where an offence punishable under the Act has been committed by a department of government or any authority referred to in clause (b) of sub-section (1) and it is proved that the offence has been committed with the consent or connivance of, or is attributable to any neglect on the part, of, any officer, other than the head of the department, or in the case of an authority, any person other than the persons referred to in clause (b) of sub-section (1), such officer or persons shall also be deemed to be guilty of that offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.]

1. Ins. by s. 3, ibid. (w.e.f. 15-3-1989).

Section 4. Power to make rules.

(1) The Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, make rules for carrying out the provisions of this Act.

(2) Every rule made under this Act shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is made, before each House of Parliament, while it is in session, for a total period of thirty days which may be comprised in one session or in two or more successive sessions, and if, before the expiry of the session immediately following the session or the successive sessions aforesaid, both Houses agree in making any modification in the rule or both Houses agree that the rule should not be made, the rule shall thereafter have effect only in such modified form or be of no effect, as the case may be; so, however, that any such modification or annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that rule.

Section 5. Repeal and saving.

(1) The Forest (Conservation) Ordinance, 1980 (17 of 1980) is hereby repealed.

(2) Notwithstanding such repeal, anything done or any action taken under the provisions of the said Ordinance shall be deemed to have been done or taken under the corresponding provisions of this Act.