The Chhattisgarh government on Tuesday simplified the rules for felling trees.
As part of the Chief Minister’s Tree Plantation Promotion Scheme launched on June 6, 2021, the need was felt to relax the rules for harvesting of plantation or felling of naturally grown trees on private land, an official communication said on Tuesday.
The simplified rule states that the landowners can grow trees on their land as agriculture and harvest it. Permission will not be required for felling the trees.
They need to just intimate the Sub-Divisional Officer Revenue. The Forest Department can also be approached for cutting the trees.
In case of naturally grown trees on private land, the land owner has to file an application before the Sub-Divisional Officer (Revenue). The SDO needs to grant permission within 45 days.
The applicant can file a reminder. If even then permission is not granted within 30 working days, the land owner can cut the trees.
In a calendar year, the land owner will be permitted to cut a maximum of four naturally grown trees per acre and a maximum of 10 trees on the crop land.
The revenue and forest officers will conduct joint inspection based on the application filed for naturally grown trees.
For Scheduled Tribe landowners, 95 percent of the total amount will be deposited in their bank account and the remaining 5 percent in the Forest Department's account.
