Mizoram first: Forest Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 Bihchianna

8th August, 2023

India ram rorelna in sang, Lok Sabha chuan Forest Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 chu ni 26 July 2023 khan a lo pass a, Rajya Sabha chuan August 3, 2023 khan debate mumal tak awm lovin a lo pass ve ta bawk a. He bill hian dodalna nasa tak a tawk a, chuti chung chuan kal tlangpui a ni a. He bill thar hian kan FCA 1980 (as amended in 1988) hman mekah eng te nge a rawn paih/belh/tihdanglam tih a tlangpuiin kan en dawn a ni.

I Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980:

1. He Dan ah hian section panga chauh a awm a, a laimu leh pawimawh lai ber chu section 2-na hi a ni a. Hetiangin-

“Section 2: Ramngaw thiah emaw thil dang atana ramngaw hman khuahkhirhna .- State-in eng Dan pawh lo nei tawh mah se, State sorkar emaw thuneitu dang tu mahin central sorkar phalna la hmasa lo chuan –

(i) Ramngaw humhalh (reserved forest) a puan tawh ram khawilai pawh humhalh (reserve) a nih tawh lohna turin thupek (order) a siam tur a ni lo;

(ii) Ramngaw hmun (forest land) khawilai pawh ramngaw siam lehna atan ni lo, thil dang atana hman theihna tur thupek (order) a siam tur a ni lo;

(iii) Ramngaw hmun khawilai pawh, mimal emaw, sorkar ta leh enkawl emaw control ni lo thuneitu leh pawl emaw (any private person or any authority, corporation, agency or any other organization not owned, managed or controlled by Government) hnenah a hman hawhtir emaw a pe (lease or otherwise) tur a ni lo;

(iv) Ramngaw hmun eng lai pawha thing tualṭote, ramngaw siam lehna atana kih leh vah phalna (order) a siam tur a ni lo.”

2. Supreme Court order dt 12.12.1996 [WP(C) 202/1995] chuan he Dan hi humhalh paha sawifiahin “He Dan section 2-in ‘ramngaw’ (forest) a tih hian Dictionary in ramngaw (forest) a hrilhfiah ang tling chin chu a huam vek ang – tu ta pawh, eng ang ramngaw pawh ni se (irrespective of ownership and classification)” a tih bakah, “'Ramngaw hmun’ (forest land) tih hian Dictionary-in ramngaw a tih ang zawng zawng bakah sorkar record-a ‘ramngaw’ (forest) tia chhinchhiah tawh zawng zawng a huam tel ang” a ti bawk a; tin, “India rama khawilai ramngawah pawh central sorkar phalna lova hmalakna (non-forest activity) reng reng chu chawlhsan/a tawp vek tur a ni” a ti bawk.

3. Hengte avang hian ramngaw (forest) hrim hrim chhunga hmalakna (non-forest activity) reng rengah chuan central sorkar aṭangin ramngaw ṭhiah phalna (Forest Clearance) hi lak hmasak zel a lo ngai ta a ni. Forest clearance chuan ramngaw leh environment tichhe lo thei ang bera hmalak dan turte, ramngaw tihchhiat tur aia ramngaw dang siam lehna turte leh a kaihhnawih thil tam tak a keng tel ṭhin a ni.

II. Forest Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023:

1. He Bill hian “Preamble” a rawn nei thar a, Section 1-a Dan hming “Forest (Conservation) Act” tih chu "Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam" tiin a thlak a, section 2 a tihdanglam hret bakah section thar pahnih (1A & 3C) a bilhlut bawk a ni. He Bill hmang hian forest chi (category) ṭhenkhat ah ramngaw ṭhiah dawnin Forest Clearance lak kher a ngai tawh lo ang. A awmzia chu FCA, 1980 hian ramngaw zawng zawng hi a humhalh dawn tawh lo a ni.

2. He Dan/Bill-in a huam/humhalh tur ramngawte chu – Sec 1A(1) : (a) Forest Act tlawhchhana forest a puan (notify) te leh (b) ni 25.10.1980 leh a hnu lama sorkar record a ‘forest’ tia chhinchhiah te chauh he dan hian a huam/humhalh tawh dawn a ni.

Nimahsela, forest ram, State sorkar thuneihna hmanga ni 12.12.1996 leh a hma lama thil dang (non-forest purpose) atana lo hman tawh te chu he Dan hian a huam tel lo vang. [sec 1A(1)]

[Kum 1997 ah Mizoram sorkarin reserved forest leh non-notified forest (ramngaw ṭha) kan neihte list hi Supreme Court ah Affidavit siamin a lo report tawh a, heng non-notified forest te hi sorkar record ah chuan forest anga chhinchhiah (record) vek an ni a, mahse ni 25.10.1980 hnu lam, ni12.12.1996 hma lama recorded forest ni si, thil dang atana lo hman tawh (Pass pekte tawh) te chu he dan hian a ngaidam vek tihna a ni.]

3. He Dan/Bill-in a huam loh (exempt) turte chu–Sec 1A(2):

(a) Khua emaw rel kawng leh roadside amenity (restaurant/cafeteria) panna vantlang kawng emaw rail line hrula forest ram 0.10 hectare aia zau lo tihchhiat (forest diversion) tur a nihin;

(b) ‘forest’ tia puan leh chhinchhiah ni lo hmuna thing tualṭo leh thing phun chawp leh phun belh te (tree, tree plantation or afforestation outside notified/recorded forest) [RRF leh ILRF tih loh notified forest dang kan nei mang lo va, forest tia puan leh chhinchhiah ni lo plantation leh ramngaw ṭha kan neihte hi he Bill hian a humhalh tel dawn tawh lo (FC dil a ngai tawh lo) tihna a ni];

i) International border aṭanga km 100 huam chhunga ramngaw (forest), ram tana project pawimawh leh ram himna (linear projects of national importance/security) atana hman tur a nihin; [Mizoram pumpui hi international border aṭangin km 100 huam chhung vek a ni a, Mizorama forest ram zawng zawng a huam. Central sorkarin linear project pawimawh nia an hriat kalpui tur chuan forest khawilaiah pawh FCA hnuaiah Forest Clearance lak buai a ngai tawh dawn lo va; kan Mizoram Forest Act 1955 hmang hian kan forest ramte hi humhalhin chutiang project chu kan hnar fithla thei ang em?]

ii) 10 Ha china zau, security kaihhnawih hmasawnna ruhrel (infrastructure) dinna tur atana hman tur a nihin; [Hei hian forest ram khawi laia mi pawh a huam].

iii) Defence lam kaihhnawih thil leh vantlang mamawh thil (defence related and public utility projects), central sorkarin ṭul a tih atana ramngaw chu hman tur a nihin {Left Wing Extremism (LWE) chiahpiah ramah chuan 5 Ha aia zau lo bithliah a ni}; [LWE ram ni lo vah hi chuan forest ram divert theih chin zau zawng hi bithliah a ni ve lo niin a lang].

4. Central sorkarin He Bill-a [sub-section (2)] in a huam loh tur forest ram leh project atante khian inkaihhruaina (Guidelines) a siam ang (sec 1A(3)).

[He Central Act/Bill-in a huam (cover) loh tur hmun – forest ram leh project ṭhenkhat atana Central sorkarin Guidelines siam a tum hi thil awm ngai lo leh thil awmze nei (valid) lo, mahni kuang lo nawr ang a ni lo maw?]

5. FCA 1980 laimu ber, Section 2 chungchang: He Bill hian FCA laimu ber section 2 kha nambar thar pein, sub-section (1) of section 2 tiin a rawn dah a. He section 2(1) hnuaia clause pali awmsate zinga clause (iii)-na hi tihdanglam hret a ni a, hetiangin:-

“(iii) Ramngaw hmun (forest land) khawilai pawh, mimal emaw thuneitu (authority) leh pawl emaw hnenah a hman hawhtir emaw a pe (lease or otherwise) tur a ni lo, mahse hei hi Central sorkarin order hmanga thudelhkilh (terms & conditions) a siamah a innghat ang.”

[Central sorkarin thudelhkilh (terms & conditions) a siamte an zawm dawn chuan mimal, thuneitu leh pawlin forest ram a hawh leh hman hi phalsak theih a ni dawn ta a. Hei hian reserved forest chhunga Pass/Land Lease pek theihna remchang a hawng thei dawn a ni].

6. Section 2 hnuaia Explanation-ah hian “non-forest purpose” hrilhfiahna tidanglam lovin FCA danin a ngaimawh loh tur thilte hi nambar te pein tihdanglam hret bawk a. Heta FCA-in a khap loh turte hi forest leh wildlife humhalhna, tihhmasawnna leh enkawlna lam hawi vek thil a nih dawn avangin thil ngaimawhawm an ni lo. He section hnuaia Sub-section (2) leh Section 3C a dah belh pawh ngaihmawhawm tur a ni hran lo.

State hrang hrang sorkar leh ram mipuite, Pawl (NGO) hrang hrang leh mimal aṭangtein he Bill hi sawiselna, duh lohna, tihdanglam hret duhna a tam hle a, a chhan chu he Bill hi Act a lo nih chuan India rama ramngaw tam tak hian a chereu phah dawn vang a ni. Mizoram tana ngaimawhawm lai ber chu Central sorkarin ram tana pawimawh leh defence/security tana pawimawh leh mipui vantlang hman ṭangkai tur project (strategic linear project of national importance and concerning security, defence related projects, public utility projects) nia an ngaih atan reserved forest leh ramngaw hrim hrim tihchhiat a ngaihin FC lak a ngai tawh lo tur hi a ni. Kan State Forest Act hi he Central Act leh chumi hnuaia guidelines te chuan forest hi concurrent subject a nihna ṭanchhanin a rawn over-rule dawn si a.

Mi thiltithei leh pamhamte’n kan reserved forest chhungah engtin tin emaw Land Pass siamtirin sorkar leh mimal project te pawh FC tel lovin an kalpui ngam/thei zel a. Hengte avang hi nge ni forest rama hma la tur chuan harsa taka FC lak a ngai chung pawha kan ramngaw la neihchhunte hi heti taka a chereu chak tak ni! Kan reserved forest (RRF) neihchhunte chunga sorkar leh mi thiltitheite hmalak tawh dante enin, FCA hnuaia ramngaw humhalhna leh khuahkhirhna khauh deuh tak tel lo chuan kan reserved forest te hi kan humhalh zo lo vang tih a hlauhawm hle a ni.

*I ram leh hnam a boral chuan nang leh I chhungte in him bik lo vang.*

(A kimchanga chhiar duh tan Mizoram First facebook page ah chhiar theih a ni e.)

- Lalthlamuana Pachuau