A raiyyat or owner of land is free to fell a tree planted on it and is not law-bound to seek permission for doing so from the Forest Department, clarified DFO (North) in-charge Anil Kumar Mishra. He however added that for transit the log, permission is required as per the set process.
The issue has been in the minds of the raiyyats due to misinformation spread in this regard which often make a person hesitant to plant saplings on a private land. “For felling a tree on raiyyat land by any raiyyat, no permission is needed from the forest and environment department. The owner can use tree in whatever manner he wants,” said the DFO. However for transporting the felled tree or its logs transit permit is a must, he reminded. “No raiyyat is free to transit tree to any distance from the spot where the tree has been felled without the transit permit to be issued by the forest and the environment department,” he said.