The Odisha Forest Act, 1972
The Odisha Forest Act, 1972
Environmental197291 sections
The Odisha Forest Act, 1972, serves as the primary legislation for the protection, management, and administration of forests within the State of Odisha. It consolidates previous colonial-era laws into a unified framework. The Act empowers the State Government to classify forests into categories like "Reserved," "Protected," and "Village" forests, each with specific regulatory regimes. It governs the transit of forest produce, defines forest offences, and establishes strict penalties for illegal activities such as unauthorized clearing, timber theft, or poaching. For citizens, it regulates access to forest resources, grazing rights, and land use, ensuring sustainable management while providing legal mechanisms for enforcement and dispute resolution.
- 0. Preamble
- 2. Definitions
- 3. Power to reserve forests
- 4. Notification by State Government
- 5. Bar to accrual of forest rights and bar of suits :
- 6. Proclamation by Forest Settlement Officer
- 7. Inquiry by the Forest Settlement Officer
- 8. Power of Forest Settlement Officer
- 9. Extinction of rights
- 10. Claims relating to practice of shifting cultivation :
- 11. Power to acquire land over which right is claimed :
- 12. Claims to right of way, right to water-course or to use of water, etc. :
- 13. Record to be made by the Forest Settlement Officer
- 14. Record where he admits claims
- 15. Exercise of rights admitted
- 16. Commutation of rights
- 17. Appeal from orders passed under Section 11, 12, 15 or 16
- 18. Appeal under Section 17
- 19. Power of revision
- 20. Pleaders
- 21. Notifications declaring forest reserved
- 22. Publication of translation of such Notification in neighbourhood of forests
- 23. Powers to revise arrangement made under Section 15 or Section 18
- 24. No right to be acquired over reserved forest except as herein provided
- 25. Rights not to alienate without sanction :
- 26. Power of stop ways and water courses in reserved forests
- 27. Offences
- 28. Suspension of rights in reserved forest
- 29. Power to declare Forest no longer reserved
- 30. Constitution of village forest
- 31. Power to make rules for village forests :
- 32. Inquiry into and settlement of rights
- 33. Protected forest
- 34. Power to issue notification reserving trees, etc.
- 35. Publication or translation of such notification in neighbourhood
- 36. Powers to make rules for protected forests
- 37. Penalties for acts in contravention of notification under Section 34 or of Rules under Section 36
- 38. Nothing in this chapter to prohibit acts done in certain cases
- 39. Protection of forests for special purpose
- 40. Power to assume management of forests :
- 41. Acquisition of forests in certain cases
- 42. Prohibition of cutting fruits - bearing trees
- 43. Protection of forests at request of owners
- 44. Management of forests, the joint-property of Government and other person
- 45. Power to make rules to regulate transit of forest produce :
- 46. Penalty for breach of rules made under Section 45 :
- 47. Government and forest officers not liable for damage to forest produce at Depot
- 48. All persons bound to aid in case of accident at Depot
- 49. Certain kinds of timber to be deemed property of Government until title thereto is proved and may be collected accordingly
- 50. Notice to claimants of drifit timber
- 51. Procedure on claim preferred to such timber
- 52. Disposal of unclaimed timber
- 53. Government and its officers not liable for damages to such timber
- 54. Payments to be made by claimant before timber is delivered to him
- 55. Power to make rules and prescribe penalties
- 56. Seizure of property liable to confiscation :
- 57. Power to release property seized under section 56
- 58. Action after seizure
- 59. Forest produce, tools, etc. liable to confiscation :
- 60. Disposal on conclusion of trial for forest offence of produce in respect of which it was committed
- 61. Procedure when offender not known, or cannot be found
- 62. Procedure as to perishable property seized under Section 56
- 63. Appeal from order under Section 59, 60 or 61
- 64. Power to release property seized under Section 64
- 65. Saving of power to release property seized
- 66. Punishment for wrongful seizure
- 67. Penalty for counterfeiting or defacing marks on trees and timber and for altering boundary marks
- 68. Powers to arrest without warrant
- 69. Power to release on a bond a person arrested
- 70. Power to prevent commission of offence
- 71. Power to try offence summarily
- 72. Power to compound offences
- 73. Presumption that forest produce belongs to Government
- 74. Operation of other laws not barred
- 75. Cattle Trespass Act, 1871 to apply
- 76. Power to alter fines fixed under the Cattle Trespass Act, 1871
- 77. State Government may invest forest officers with certain powers
- 78. Forest Officers deemed to be public servants
- 79. Protection of action taken in good faith and cognizance of offence
- 80. Forest Officers not to trade
- 81. Special provision for reserved forests in the merged territories
- 82. Additional powers to make rules
- 83. Penalties for offences not otherwise provided for
- 84. Persons bound to assist Forest Officers and Police Officers and duties of such officers :
- 85. Punishment for abetment of forest offences
- 86. Failure to perform service for which a share in produce of Government forest is enjoyed
- 87. Recovery of money due to Government
- 88. Lien on forest produce for such money
- 89. Recovery of penalties due under bond
- 90. Power of Government to apply the provisions of the Act to certain lands of Government or Local Authority
- 91. Repeal and savings
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