FCAA 2023 | ". . a tirah Opposition lam khan an dodal a; mahse, House leader-in a sawifiah kha chuan Opposition lam paw'n lungrual takin an pass-pui,"

STATEMENT OF PU C. CHALSAWITHANGA, CONSULTANT, ZPM GEN. HQRS.

@ ZPM CHHUNG INKHAWM, Dated the 1st September, 2025.

MIZORAM LAGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY SESSION-IN NI 27.08.2028 (NILAINI)-A THE FOREST CONSERVATION (AMENDMENT) ACT, 2023, A ADOPT CHUNGCHANG

1. Forest Conservation (Amendment) Act, 2023, tun tum Session-in a adopt tak khan a zu amend tãka chu ‘The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980’ a ni. He dan kan hman hma hian eng dan nge kan lo hman thin kan tih chuan ‘The Indian Forest Act, 1927’ a ni a, "Conservation" tih pawh a la tel lo. India Independence hma daiha British-ho siam kha a ni a, India pawh hian a hmang rei ngar ngar hle mai. Kum 54 hnuah ‘The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980’ hi siam a ni ta a, he Act pawh hi kum 1988 khan amend a ni tawh a, a amend lai chu he 1980 Act-ah hian zeh luh a ni tawh nghe nghe. Rules lam pawh siam ve zel a ni a, kum 1981 khan ‘The Forest (Conservation) Rules, 1981’ chu siam a ni a, a hnu leh deuh fe kum 2003 khan ‘The Forest (Conservation) Rules, 2003’ siam leh a ni bawk. Tunah phei chuan khi Amendment Act 2013 khi an sawi lang ngai tawh lo va, a amend-na zawng kha Forest (Conservation) 1980-ah an thun luh vek tawh avangin ‘The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980’ tia sawi a ni vek tawh zawk.

2. He Dan kan adopt tak kha, a tirah kha chuan Opposition lam khan an han dodal tak tak a; mahse House leader & CM in a han sawi fiah tak tak kha chuan Opposition lam pawh khan lungrual takin an pass-pui ta kha a ni a. Amaherawhchu, House pawnah leh Media hrang hrangah mi thenkhatin Ruling Party min beih nan an hmang nasa ta hle mai a, kan special provision Art. 371G thiat ta ang hialah te min puh a, Pawl Pakhat phei chuan Mizoram hralhna ang hialah an chhuah a. Party thenkhat lahin Central BJP Sawrkar tih lawm tumna ang tein an lo sawi bawk a. Chuvangin, tawi tea sawi fiah a ngai ta a ni.

3. Tuna kan adopt tak ‘The Forest Conservation (Amendment) Act, 2023’ -in a amend tak, "The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980," khan engtinnge a lo sawi reng reng kan tih chuan, Section 2-ah chuan - "State Sawrkarin a hmanlai danah chuan engti pawhin lo inziak se la, Central Sawrkar phalna chauh lo chuan eng State Sawrkar leh eng thuneihna nei mahin -

(i) Reserved forest awm sa a ti tawp tur a ni lo;

(ii) Forest ram pum emaw, a then a zar emaw pawh Forest atan ni lo thil dang atan a hmang tur a ni lo; Amendment Act, 1988;

(iii) Mimal emaw, Pawlho eng pawh, Sawrkar din (Society/Corporation/ leh Govt. Undertakings) ni lo hnenah Forest ram chu a hman hawhtir (lease) tur a ni lo;

(iv) Forest ram pumpui emaw, a then emaw chhunga thing leh mau awm reng reng pakhat mah an kit tur a ni lo, tih a ni.

A sawifiahnaah chuan, a chung clause (ii)-a, "Forest atan ni lo" tih khian thingpui, coffee, hmarcha, aieng, rubber, tung, meihle, kuhva, thangtung, hriak nei thlai chi reng reng, huana chin chi thlai eng chi pawh leh damdawia siam theih thlai leh hnim zawng zawng chinna atana hman te a huap a, chu mi awmzia chu, forest dang/thar siam nan emaw, forest awm sa tihhmasawn nan emaw chauh lo chuan forest chu eng tih nan mah a phal lo bur mai a ni. Chutih rual chuan Forest tihhmasawnna atana heng - check-post siam, mei kawng sial, inbiak pawhna thirzai thlun, ram hungna pal siam, lei dawh, culvert siam, tuikhuah laih, tui kawng siam, khur laih, tui pipe zam leh ram ri chin chhinchhiahna siam te a huamtir lo chauh a ni.

4. Keini tan duhthusam ni lo mahse, he Dan (Act 1980) hi a nih ang ang hian kan lo hmang ngar ngar a, a kengkawhtu Mizorama Forest Department hi Sawrkar hnuaia awm ve tho a nih avangin strict lutukin an kalpui bik lova. Harsatna eng eng emawte chu tawk neuh neuh thin mah ila, kan lo inbang liam ve zel a ni.

5. Khi Dan (Act 1980) kan hman mek lai khian Supreme Court chuan, Godavarmana case-ah ni 12.12.1996 khan a tichhuak a, Chu Judgement-ah chuan, hmanlai Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 section (2)-in "Forest" tih leh "Forest land" a tih chu rawn hrilh fiah ta a. Chu a hrilhfiahnaah chuan, "'Forest' tih chu a dictionary meaning anga pawm tawp mai tur," a ti a. A dictionary meaning bakah pawh, tun hmaa sawrkarin a recognised tawh forest, reserved forest te, protected forest te bakah sawrkar record-a forest anga lo ziah luh tawh hrim hrimte chu, eng hming pawh pu se, sawrkar ram a ni emaw, pawlho ram a ni emaw, mimal ram a ni emaw, 'forest' tih leh 'forest land' tih chuan a rawn huamtir ta vek mai a.

# Hetah hian hriat tur pawimawh tak pakhat awm chu, India rama Forest dan hman ṭan tirh 1856 atanga Dec/1996 (he Supreme Court Order chhuah ni thleng khan 'Forest' tih leh 'Forest land' tih hi hrilh fiahna mumal tak (nationally accepted definition) hi a lo la awm reng reng lo va, tuna Supreme Court hrilhfiahna chiah hi a la awm a ni.

6. Chutiang chiah Forest ram chin tihchian a nih theih nan State tin chu Expert Committee din nghal turin a ti a. Forest like areas (Forest tia chhiar theih ngaw hrim hrim) te, Unclassed forest lands te, community forest lands te rawn tichiang vek turin a ti a. Mizoram sawrkar pawhin Expert Committee dinin thui tak hma a la a ni. He lam chu sawi zui lo ta ila.

7. Chutia Supreme Court-in Forest leh Forest land a rawn hrilhfiah a, thing awmna hrim hrim ram Forest ram anga a rawn puan vek takah chuan sawrkar leh mipuiin kan ram chhungah chanvo leh thu neihna kan nei ta der lo mai a. Chutah, Central sawrkar chuan ‘The Forest Conservation (Amendment) Act, 2023’ rawn tichhuakin, Supreme Court-in Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 section 2-na a hrilhfiahna chu a rawn her danglamin Forest land chu hetiang hian a rawn hrilh fiah tha ve leh ta a:-

"Indian Forest Act, 1927 leh chutih laia dan eng pawhin Forest anga a lo puan tawh te leh khita tel lo zawng, Oct 25, 1980 leh a hnu lama sawrkarin Forest atana a lo puan te," tiin.

Chutih rual chuan, "Supreme Court order chhuah ni 12.12.1996 hma lama State sawrkarin forest atan ni lo, non-forest atana ram a lo pek leh hman tawh zawng zawg chu a huam lo vang," tih a sawi bawk a. Chu mi awmzia chu, kum 1997 hma lam zawnga sawrkarin eng atan pawha ram a lo pek tawh hrim hrim chu Forest ram chhung ang chhiar tel theih a ni dawn lo” tihna a ni.

8. He Amendment Act, 2023-in a sawi pawimawh tak chu, "exemption" tia a dah, The Forest (Conservation) Act section 2-in a huam ve loh tur a rawn sawi a. Chungte chu,

(1) Sawrkarin a enkawl mek vantlang kawngpui reh tel kawng kam hectare 0.10 aia zau lo te;

(2) A chunga kan sawi tel loh tree plantation huan leh Forest (ngaw) atana mi tu pawhin ram lo buatsaih tawh te,

(3) Forest land (i) International boundary emaw, Line of Control emaw, Line of Actual control emaw atanga km 100 chhhung, ram ven himna atana tul leh hmanmawhthlak project pawimawh siamna atan te, (ii) security infrastructure siam nana hman tum ram hectare 10 chin te, (iii) Central sawrkarin tul a tih anga paramilitary force camp siamna tur te, vantlang inhmantawm tur project siam nan te, Left Wing Extremist te awmna ramah chuan ram hectare 5 aia zau lo te an ni a.

9. Ram leh mipui tana tha zawk tura Central sawrkarin Supreme Court order ang pui pui ni lova Forest a rawn hrilhfiahna Amendment Act 2023 chu, a hrilhfiahna (definition) tha em em chu enchiang lovin exemption pek lam chauh chu enin kan lo dodal a, Aug 22, 20023 (Thawhtanni) khan Mizoram Legislative Assembly chuan a dodalna Resolution a pass ta a nih kha.

10. India ram State leh UT zawng zawngah he Act dodaltu State awmchhun kan ni a, State dang chuan mak min ti deuh mai thei. Kan object hnu lawk, Sept 14, 2023 khan Nagaland chuan, "Constitution Art 371A a kan special provision tha taka zawm a nih chauhvin," = If the constitutional guarantees provided Art.371A are adhered to," tih condition awmin an adopt hmak a ni (moved by CL John, MOS, EF). State dang zawng zawngin lawm taka an pawm laia kan lo object bikna chhan nia langte chu :-

(1) Supreme Court-in khiti taka Forest chungchanga Order khirh lutuk a lo tih chhuah khi kan Legislator-ten an hre lo va, khi saltanna atanga Central-in min chhanchhuahna Act a ni tih an hre lo ;

(2) Constitution Article 371G-a kan special provision a kalh-ah an ngai.

(3) Exemption awm ho khi an hrethiam lo. He mi chungchangah hian Central-in kaihhruaina mumal (Order/Guidelines) a la siam loh avangin Mizoram sawrkar rawn miah lovin Central-in a duh lai lai a rawn hmang pawp pawp mai tura ngaihna a awm a. Chutiang a nih si lohzia nakinah kan sawi zui ang. Chu bakah, Security emergency thilah leh Indo thulah chuan kan ram khawilai pawh hi Forest Clearance la lovin Central-chuan a duh hun hunah a hmang thei tih lam pawh an ngaihtuah thleng lo. Ram buai kan nih lai kha ngaihtuah mah teh u.

11. Chutih lai chuan Ashok Kumar Sharma, IFS (rtd) leh environmentalist/environmental activist mi tam takin khi Amendment Act, 2023 khi an duh loh thu Supreme Court-ah Writ Appeal No. 42, 85, 1164, 1336 leh 1375 te hmangin khinna thu an lo thehlut ve thung a. Anni duh lohna chhan ve thung chu, "He Amendment Act, 2023 hi mipui lam a tang lutuk, Supreme Court-in Forest a hrilhfiahna (definition) chu paih thenin, a tidal (dilute, attenuate) vek a, heti chuan forest ram tur Sq km 1.97 lakhs kan chan/hloh dawn a ni," an ti ve thung a, Supreme Court pawhin Wildlife Protection leh thil thenkhat chungchangah hma la zawm lo tura hriattirna (Stay Order) a chhuah nghe nghe a ni. Keini lo duh loh ve ngawt chhan nen chuan a inang lo hle mai.

12. Central sawrkar chuan Amendment Act, 2023 chu rawn thuam phuisui zelin Rules tha tak, the Van (Shanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Rules, 2023 = the Forest Conservation (Amendment) Rules, 2023 chu Nov 29, 2023 khan a rawn tichhuak a. Chu Rules-ah chuan Rule 16 leh sub-rule tam tak a awm a, a pawimawh zual pahnih khat lek lo tar lang ila :-

Rule 9-11 ah chuan Central Govt.-in Final approval a pek hmaa ‘In principle approval’ a lo pek theih thu leh chumi hmanga hna lo tan theih a ni thu te, Rule 13&14 ah Compensatory Afforestation chungchang te, Rule 16-ah Expect Committee hnathawh dan tur te a sawi a.

13. Chu mi ni la la chuan khita Exemption kan tihho chungchang ngaihtuah dan tur Guidelines a rawn chhuah nghal bawk a. He Amendment Act 2023 kan duh loh em ema kan object-na chhan ber, Central Sawrkar-in International boundary/LOC/LAC atanga km 100 strategic linear project atana a duh hun hun a rawn hman theih kan hlauh em em kha, State sawrkar rawn lo chuan Central-in eng mah an tih loh tur thu leh ‘in principle approval’ leh ‘final approval’ pe tur pawha State sawrkar kaltlang vek tur a nih thu a rawn sawi a ; tin compensatory afforestation pek tur a nih thu a sawi bawk.

14. Pu Lalthara IAS (rtd)-in “He Amendment Act, 2023 hi keinin kan duh emaw, duh lo emaw, Central-in hman tura a tih hi kan hnial thei lo," a tih hi a dik a. Amaherawhchu, "Kan lo adopt kher pawh a ngai em ni, hming that lak tumna a ni mai em,?"a tih hi chu, kan lo hnawl tawhna kha thiah a ngaih vang a ni.

15. Pu Hriata Chhangte pawhin, BAR-a Advocate rual zingah khuan he Dan adopt hi Dan mit atangin tul ti an tam zia a sawi kha.

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