Maharashtra Felling of Trees (Regulation) Act, 1964
No: 34 Dated: Sep, 07 1964
THE MAHARASHTRA FELLING OF TREES (REGULATION) ACT, 1964
ACT No. XXXIV OF 1964
An Act to make better provision for regulating the felling of certain trees in the State of Maharashtra, for the purposes of the preservation thereof
Whereas, it is expedient to make better provision for regulating the felling of certain trees in the State of Maharashtra, for the purpose of the preservation thereof, and for the protection of the soil against erosion and to provide for matters connected therewith;
It is hereby enacted in the Fifteenth Year of the Republic of India as follows, namely :-
1. Short title and extent. - (1) This Act may be called the Maharashtra Felling of Trees (Regulation) Act, 1964.
(2) It extends to the whole of the State of Maharashtra but excluding an urban area.
2. Definitions. - In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-
(a-1) "artificial plantation" means planting of minimum 100 seedlings of tree species per hectare through artificial means or by human agency on any land not being the property of Government;"
(a) "Code" means the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966;
(b) "Collector" includes a Revenue Officer appointed by the State Government to exercise the powers and perform the functions of the Collector under this Act;
(c) "Forest-Officer" means a Forest Officer within the meaning of the Indian Forest Act, 1927;
(d) "Revenue Officer" means a Revenue Officer within the meaning of the Code.
(e) "to fell a tree" includes burning or cutting or lopping a tree to cause substantial damage or destruction thereto;
(f) "tree" means any tree specified in the Schedule; and the State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, add to or modify the Schedule, after considering the necessity for the protection of any variety of trees; and the provisions of sub-section (2) of section 15 in so far as they relate to saying before, and modification by the State Legislature shall apply in relation to such notification as they apply in relation to any rule made under that section;
(ff) "Tree Officer" means a 'Forest Officer' not below the rank of a Range Forest Officer;
(g) "urban area" means the area within the limits of a municipality, municipal corporation, Municipal Committee, Town Committee, or notified area committee or Cantonment constituted under any law for the time being in force: and includes a local area which is specified by the State Government in the Official Gazette, being an area which has a population of not less than five thousand and has not less than three-fourths of male workers engaged in non-agricultural pursuis;
(h) words and expressions used but not defined in this Act shall have the meanings, respectively, assigned to them in the Code.