81. Special provision for reserved forests in the merged territories.
(1)Notwithstanding anything contains, in this Act or in any other law for the time being in force, any forest land or waste land in the merged territories, which has been recognised by the Ruler of any merged State immediately before the date of merger as a reserved forest in pursuance of any law, custom, rule, regulation, order or notification tor the time being in force or which has been dealt with as such in any administration report or in accordance with any working plan, or register maintained and acted upon immediately before the said date and has been continued to do so dealt with thereafter, shall be deemed to be reserved forests for the purposes of this Act.(2)In the absence of any rule, order or notification under this Act, applicable to the area in question, any law, custom, rule, regulation, order or notification mentioned in Sub-section (1) shall, anything in any law to the contrary notwithstanding, be deemed to be validly in force as if the same had the force and effect of rules, orders and notifications made under the provisions of this Act and shall continue to so remain in force until superseded, altered or modified in accordance therewith.(3)No report, working plan or register as aforesaid or any entry therein shall be questioned in any Court of law; provided that the State Government have duly certified that such report, working plan or register had been prepared under the authority of the said Ruler before the date or merger and has been under the authority of the State Government continued to be recognised, maintained or acted upon thereafter.(4)Forests recognised in the merged territories, as Khesra forests, village forests or protected forests, or forests other than reserved forests by whatever name designated or locally known, shall be deemed to be protected forests within the meaning of this Act and provisions of Subsections (2) and (3) shall mutatis mutandis apply.Explanation I - "Working plan" includes any plan, scheme, project, maps, drawing and lay-outs prepared for the purpose of carrying out the operation in course of the working and management of forests.Explanation II - "Ruler" includes the Darbar administration prior to the date of the merger and "State Government" includes the successor Government after the said date.
