HYDERABAD: Fell trees for your own industry and get instant approval by SMS on your mobile number. The felling of trees has been further simplified in Telangana for industries. For that matter, you require no permission at all for felling eucalyptus, subabul and casuarina. For felling teakwood, rosewood, red sanders and sandalwood, permission from just forest range officers is enough.
Though, felling is simplified, the transportation of felled trees is not simplified. “The felling permission granted will not bestow any right to the applicant to transport timber without obtaining transit permit from forest divisional officer/district forest officer concerned under Telangana Forest Produce (Transit) Rules, 1970,” according to an order issued by Environment and Forest principal secretary Rajat Kumar.
The officer concerned will inspect the site and take a decision on felled trees within a minimum of three days to maximum of 30 days for TS-iPASS and inform the same to forest range officers.
This is not the first time the State government issued simplified rules for felling trees. In fact, the TS government issued orders in May, 2016 simplifying the rules. An amendment order to WALTA Act was issued on Wednesday further simplifying the rules for felling trees.Person/Firm/Company intending to fell tree growth existing on the patta land or government assigned/leased land for establishing new industry in the state shall furnish details of trees proposed to be felled in the TS-iPASS common application form along with required documents and fees to be paid towards tree felling permission and security deposit for ensuring re-planting of the area under Water, Land and Trees Act (WALTA) Act, 2002.
An amount of `50 per tree for urban residential and institution areas and `100 per tree for commercial areas shall be payable towards inspection fee as prescribed under WALTA, 2002 & WALTA Rules, 2004. If the proposed land for tree felling is recorded as ‘forest’ in any government record (Revenue/Forest) and as defined by the Supreme Court, the provisions of Forest (Conservation) Act (FCA), 1980, will be attracted as per the orders of the Apex court.