Aizawl: The Mizoram assembly on Tuesday adopted an official resolution opposing Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023, passed recently by the Parliament.
“This house unanimously resolves to oppose the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023, in order to protect the rights and interest of the people of Mizoram,” the resolution stated.
State Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister T.J. Lalnuntluanga, who moved the resolution, said the state government has been opposing the forest amendment bill since the very start when it heard about the proposed amendment bill. He said they had written to the Centre on October 21, 2021, informing about the state government’s opposition to the proposed Forest Amendment Act.
The state forest department had also written to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) over the proposed legislation on June 6, he said.
Despite receiving an overwhelming 1,309 protest letters and communications, the JPC proceeded with the Bill’s approval and it was later passed by both houses of the Parliament- the Lok Sabha on July 26 and Rajya Sabha on August 2, the minister said.
“Even though we have taken an exhaustive effort to protect our forest from destruction and to safeguard the rights of people of the state, by conveying our concern about the proposed Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act through numerous correspondences to the Centre, it has yielded no result. Therefore, we present this resolution today,” Lalnuntluanga said.
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Underlining the vulnerability of Mizoram, the minister said that the state forest cover could face obliteration if section 2, sub-section (i) of the amendment act was to be implemented in the state.
After prolonged discussion, involving several MLAs from both the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) and oppositions, all the members, except BJP representative BD Chakma, voted in support of the resolution.
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