• The Government of Bihar recently banned felling of trees, citing increasing pollution as well as a fatal heatwave.
• The order was passed under Forest Conservation Act, 1980 and is valid only for Government-owned properties and not for people who privately own a tree. With this, all permissions granted to cut trees for development works, have become null and void. Henceforth, anybody wanting to remove a tree for any development project will have to translocate it. State Public Works Department also has been asked not to cut trees while building or expanding roads.
• Pollution in Bihar is increasing at an alarming rate and most cities in the sate are ranked in the list of World’s most polluted cities. These cities are Patna, Muzaffarpur, Gaya and Bhagalpur. Patna which holds 7th position, Muzaffarpur 13th position, Gaya holds the 18th position on the world’s most polluted list.
• State Government’s decision to ban felling of trees could have been reaction to indiscriminate felling of big, old trees in Capital Patna during last few years for the construction of roads and buildings. Another reason was severe heatwave this year, which killed 90 people in Gaya, Aurangabad and Nawada districts of state besides rendering many others sick.
• Bihar government announced it will increase green cover in the state to 17%. Till now, Bihar Government was able to increase its green cover from seven to 15% under the Green Mission.

About Forest Conservation Act, 1980:

• The Forest Conservation Act, 1980 is a Central Act of Parliament with a view to provide for the conservation of forest and for matters connected therewith or ancillary or incidental thereto.
• The act extends to the whole of India except the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Under this act there is a provision  that prior approval of the Central Government necessary before a State Government or any other authority issues direction for dereservation of reserved forests (which have been reserved under the Indian Forest Act 1927), use of forest land for non – forest purpose, assigning forest land by way of lease or otherwise to any private person or to any authority, corporation, agency or any other organization not owned, managed or controlled by the government and clear felling of naturally grown trees.
• The term “forest land” mentioned refers to reserved forest, protected forest or any area recorded as forest in the government records.
• Appeals against orders made under section 2 of the forest conservation act on or after the commencement of the National Green Tribunal Act 2010 lie with the National Green Tribunal.
• The regional empowered committee shall decide the proposal involving diversion of forest land upto 40 ha. Proposals involving forest land of more than 40 ha. and all proposals relating to mining and encroachments irrespective of the area of forest land involved, shall be forwarded by the concerned State Government / Union Territory along its recommendations to the MoEF Government of India. Non – compliance of provisions of section 2 of the act shall be punishable with simple imprisonment for a period which may extend upto 15 days.