MM: State govt to amend Forest Act to ensure stringent punishment for offenders: May 26, 2008

With nearly two lakh trees being cut illegally every year across the state, the forest department has finally realised that existing laws and punishment are just not enough to deter culprits.

Henceforth, it intends to press charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder (maximum punishment is 10 years in prison) against people caught cutting trees illegally.
At present, culprits face a maximum jail term of six months and/or fine of Rs 500.

“People think it is easy to escape if caught for illegal tree-felling. However, if a stricter law is applied, we will be able to decrease instances of tree-felling,” says State Forest Minister Babanrao Pachpute who has decided to place the proposal before the cabinet for approval at the earliest. After cabinet approval, the proposal needs to be cleared by the legislature.

If the proposal becomes a law, Maharashtra will become the first state to introduce such legislation.

“Maharashtra is the number one state in terms of tree coverage and I want to maintain this record. I expect this proposal to discourage people from cutting trees illegally and indiscriminately,” says Pachpute.

Illegal treefelling has been a major concern among environmentalists and nature-lovers. Every year, up to two lakh trees are cut illegally across the state. Following loud protests, the government has taken several initiatives to curb the menace. These include increasing the number of forest personnel and setting up committees at the village level to educate citizens and keep an eye on forests. 

In recent times, the forest department has inducted 2,000 additional personnel for better management of the forests under its jurisdiction.

However, the feedback from the committees was that the initiatives had not resulted in the number of trees being cut illegally coming down.

“These committees were set up to educate villagers and prevent people from cutting trees. However, it has not been a success and forest cover continues to deplete. I realised that additional personnel and village-level committees alone cannot deter people bent on cutting trees illegally. These initiatives need to be backed by stricter laws and severe punishment,” says Pachpute who is currently touring the state to raise awareness on the issue.

THE FOREST ACT

Section 32 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927 empowers the state government to formulate laws pertaining to ‘cutting, sawing, conversion and removal of trees and timber’ from protected forests. Section 33 of the Act provides a punishment of jail term of a maximum of six months and/or fine of Rs 500 for violation of Section 32

NO OF TREES CUT ILLEGALLY

2002: 1,86,754

2003: 2,18,193

2005: 1,92,538

2006: 1,89,774