Congress hails Supreme Court order on Forest(Conservation) Act

NEW DELHI:The Congress on Thursday welcomed the Supreme Court’s order while hearing petitions against the Forest Conservation Act, 2023, stating that it is a “strong rebuke” to the Modi government’s “systematic efforts” to weaken institutions and regulatory systems for ecological conservation in the country.

On Tuesday, the court has also has taken action against those states and union territories those who have failed to implement the Forest (Conservation and Enhancement) Rules, 2023.The Supreme Court had directed all states and union territories to constitute an expert committee within a month to prepare a consolidated record of various lands, including forest-like areas, unclassified, and community forest lands.

A bench of Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih had said that the expert committee would complete the necessary work under Rule 16(1) of the Forest (Conservation and Enhancement) Rules, 2023 within six months.

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh posted on ‘X,’ “The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023 was one of the harshest laws introduced by the central government. The law had been passed arbitrarily.It effectively overturns one of the most deleterious provisions introduced by the Modi Government’s amendment to the Forest Act in 2023, which restricts the definition of ‘forest’ to the categories of notified forests and areas recorded in government records as forests on or after October 25, 1980”.

According to Ramesh, the apex court has warned that if they fail to constitute these committees within a month and prepare a consolidated record of these lands within the next six months, it will hold the chief secretaries of the states personally accountable.

Ramesh said, “This is a welcome development and a stinging rebuke to the Modi Government’s systematic efforts to dilute the institutions and regulatory systems for ecological conservation in the country. However, the Supreme Court’s intervention only undoes the second issue I had raised in my statement regarding the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act. There is a lot more that has to be done to undo the full extent of the damage done by the Government”.

”The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023 was among the most draconian laws introduced by the Union Government. Ever since it was introduced and bulldozed through Parliament, and I have taken a consistent stand against this law. Attached is the statement that I had issued on August 2nd, 2023, regarding these laws”,the congress leader said.

He said Modi Government’s amendments would have attempted to limit the total coverage of forests in the country to about 7.13 lakh sq km, excluding an addition 1.97 lakh sq km that would be included under forests by the dictionary definition of the word.

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