Port Blair, Jan 09: Vide an unstarred Parliament Question No. 3451 dated 15/12/2011, Mr. B P Ray, Member of Parliament raised in Parliament the matter regarding rights of the occupancy tenants to cut down trees standing on revenue land under their possession.
In his question he had mentioned that the occupancy tenants are not allowed to cut down such trees even though Sub Section 1 & 5 of section 156 of LR & LR Regulation 1966 and Revenue Land Reforms Rules. “1968 say that all trees standing in the holding shall belong to them,” he mentioned in his letter. The MP also wanted to know the action taken by the Administration for allowing the tenants to cut trees in their land holding.
In reply to the question, Mr. Sisir Kumar Adhikari, Minister of State for Rural Development informed the MP that there is an embargo on cutting of natural grown trees even on revenue land in view of the order of Hon’ble Supreme Court in WP(c) No.202 of 1995.
The Minister further informed the MP that a regulation “A & N Islands felling and transit of trees spews on non forest land Regulation 2005 covering falling and transit of tree species on non forest land is under consideration of the A & N Administration.
In Andaman Islands Revenue Department destroy bearing fruit trees during eviction unauthorized occupied revenue land it is threat to biodiversity in Andaman Islands