Forest Minister Sanjay Rathore, on Friday, October 16, 2020, stated that the Forest Protection Act was enacted before 1980 and the permission of the state government is no longer required for filling potholes in forest areas. This information was shared in the concerned documents and map at the Forest Survey of India, Dehradun.
Officials had to earlier seek permission for the maintenance of road and the pair work, and this was applicable as per the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, however, the department has now confirmed that the permissions will be no longer needed, as the reserved forest department has considered it as a minor task. Moreover, this was leading to the delay in proposal and process which included sending it to the state government for approval and prompting various people's representatives to reconsider the decision.
Considering all these factors, the government and the respective departments have decided that filling of pits in the reserved forest area will no longer require the permission of the Forest Department. However, one has to inform the concerned forest officer and the materials required for the work will have to be arranged by the concerned agency outside the forest area boundaries. The information was shared by Anil Rathore.
A meeting regarding the same was recently held at the Ministry where discussions were held for permission for roads in Melghat. Following this, officials took the decision after thorough consideration of the Forest Minister.
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