Vidhi Codex

Tamil Nadu Preservation of Private Forests Act, 1949

Tamil Nadu Preservation of Private Forests Act, 1949

Environmental194933 sections

The Tamil Nadu Preservation of Private Forests Act, 1949, is a regulatory statute designed to prevent the indiscriminate destruction of private forest lands in Tamil Nadu. It mandates that private forest owners cannot sell, lease, or mortgage their land, nor cut trees or denude the forest, without obtaining prior permission from a district-level Committee. This Committee, chaired by the District Collector, oversees forest management to ensure ecological stability. For ordinary citizens, this means that owning forest land comes with strict legal responsibilities; unauthorized clearing or alienation of such land is prohibited and can lead to severe penalties, including confiscation of property and prosecution.

Start reading →Read full ActSections
  1. 1. Short title, extent and commencement
  2. 2. It applies
  3. 2A. Constitution of Committees
  4. 2B. Meetings of Committee
  5. 2C. Vacancy in Committee, etc., not to invalidate acts or proceedings
  6. 3. Extension of Tamil Nadu Act XXVII of 1949
  7. 4. Repeal of corresponding laws
  8. 6. Construction of references to laws not in force in the Kanyakumari District
  9. 6A. Application of Chapter VII of the Tamil Nadu Forest Act
  10. 7. Construction of reference to authorities where new authorities have been constituted
  11. 8. Powers of courts and other authority for purposes of facilitating application of laws
  12. 9. Bar of suits
  13. 10. Power to make rules
  14. 12. Power to remove difficulties
  15. 12A. Rules and orders to be placed before the Legislature
  16. 13. Repeal of certain provisions
  17. 14. Indemnity
  18. 15. Repeal of laws
  19. 41. Power to seize property
  20. 42. Procedure on receipt of report
  21. 43. Confiscation of property
  22. 44. Disposal of property
  23. 45. Procedure when offender is not known
  24. 46. Sale of perishable property
  25. 47. Appeal
  26. 48. Vesting of property in State
  27. 49. Power of Committee to release property
  28. 50. Penalty for counterfeiting marks
  29. 51. Arrest without warrant
  30. 52. Penalty for vexatious seizure
  31. 53. Power of Forest Officer to prevent offence
  32. 54. Operation of other laws
  33. 55. Provided that no person shall be punished twice for the same offence.

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