Thiruvananthapuram: Scrutiny of files revenue The department has disclosed that the former Revenue Minister E Chandrasekaran Rejecting the objections of the officers, ordered to issue an order to allow felling of trees and to issue even before clarity on the provisions on which all tree Can be obtained from the Law Department.
The copy of the present file and the note file of the Revenue Department also shows that the minister had rejected Forest objections of the department and warned that action would be taken against the officers who objected in the matter.
“The amendment to the Land Assignment Rules, 1964 was brought in 2017 to allow farmers to fell trees which they have either planted or naturally grown from the land assigned to them,” he wrote in the file.
He further said that as per section 6 Promotion of Tree Development Act, 2005, it is stated that the owner of the land, if it is not forest land, may cut down all the trees except Sandalwood, which have been planted by them in the land.
When the forest department raised several objections to the felling of trees despite being so clear in the provisions, the revenue department had issued a circular on March 11, 2020, in which the ownership of all trees except sandalwood vested on the owners of the land.
The minister said in the file that it should be viewed seriously that despite this some poor are trying to take away the rights of the farmers.
He said that farmers do not need to take permission from anyone to cut such trees, and whoever is trying to obstruct their rights should be considered as dereliction of duty on their part.
The officials had written in the file that on the basis of the amendment brought in 2017 also the harvesting of sandalwood, teakmilf ebony and black wood Trees are illegal and cutting them down on the basis of the 2017 amendment will not meet the test of law. But the minister rejected them legal Objections
Also, the circular mentioned by the Minister was stayed by the High Court by an interim order issued on July 8, 2020.
The copy of the present file and the note file of the Revenue Department also shows that the minister had rejected Forest objections of the department and warned that action would be taken against the officers who objected in the matter.
“The amendment to the Land Assignment Rules, 1964 was brought in 2017 to allow farmers to fell trees which they have either planted or naturally grown from the land assigned to them,” he wrote in the file.
He further said that as per section 6 Promotion of Tree Development Act, 2005, it is stated that the owner of the land, if it is not forest land, may cut down all the trees except Sandalwood, which have been planted by them in the land.
When the forest department raised several objections to the felling of trees despite being so clear in the provisions, the revenue department had issued a circular on March 11, 2020, in which the ownership of all trees except sandalwood vested on the owners of the land.
The minister said in the file that it should be viewed seriously that despite this some poor are trying to take away the rights of the farmers.
He said that farmers do not need to take permission from anyone to cut such trees, and whoever is trying to obstruct their rights should be considered as dereliction of duty on their part.
The officials had written in the file that on the basis of the amendment brought in 2017 also the harvesting of sandalwood, teakmilf ebony and black wood Trees are illegal and cutting them down on the basis of the 2017 amendment will not meet the test of law. But the minister rejected them legal Objections
Also, the circular mentioned by the Minister was stayed by the High Court by an interim order issued on July 8, 2020.
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