MoEF&CC asks States to frame criteria to identify deemed forests

PANJIM: After almost 23 years since the Supreme Court (SC) asked all the States to identify deemed forests, the  Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change  has now asked the States to come up with a criterion to identify deemed forests. In a letter to the Principal Secretary Forest of the States and Union Territories, MOEF&CC, while noting the SC’s directives, said the States, having well established forest depts, are in a better position, rather than MoEF&CC, to understand their own forests and needs and should frame criteria for their forest. 

The SC, in a December 12, 1996 judgment had broadened the definition of forest to include not just land classified as forest under forest or revenue departments, but also those that are forests according to the definition of a forest. It had then also asked the States to form committees to identify forests, irrespective of the nature of land ownership or whether they are notified, recognised or classified in a time-bound manner. 

The issue was deliberated by Forest Advisory Committee  during its recent meeting and it decided to let the States come up with a criterion to identify deemed forests.

“The FAC perused the directions contained in the SC’s order (definition of forest). The FAC observed that there cannot be any uniform criteria to define forest which can be applicable to all the forest types in all States and UTs. India is a vast country with varied geo-physical units and soil-climatic conditions that has given rise to a number of forest types and there are variations even within the forest types. As far as developing criteria for deemed forests are concerned, there cannot be any uniform criteria applicable to all forest types or all States. There has to be different criteria for different tupes or States,” Assistant Inspector General of Forest Sandeep Sharma said in the letter. While framing criteria, Sharma said due diligence should be exercised taking into account the spirit of the order of the SC, National Forest Policy, the rationale of having adequate forests, site quality of naturally occurring forest species, etc for supporting a healthy environment.  

The criteria so finalized by a State needs to be subject to approval of MoEF&CC.