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(i) that any reserved forest (within the meaning of the expression "reserved forest" in any law for the time being in force in that State) or any portion thereof, shall cease to be reserved;
(ii) that any forest land or any portion thereof may be used for any non-forest purpose.

Explanation-- For the purposes Of this section "non-forest purposes" means breaking up or clearing of any forest land or portion thereto for any purpose other than reafforestation."

9. The Act had preceded an Ordinance known as the Forest (Conservation) Ordinance, 1980, and the said Ordinance was repealed by Section 5 of the Act. Section 3 contemplates about the constitution of Advisory Committee for the purposes of advising the Government with regard to -

13. "Non-forest purpose" means breaking up or clearing of any forest land or portion thereof for any purpose other than reafforestation. Indisputably, using a forest land or a portion thereof for the purpose of mining is a non-forest purpose. This has been so held by the Supreme Court in State of Bihar v. Banshi Ram Modi, AIR 1985 SC 814, by saying :

"We are, therefore, of the view that while before granting permission to start mining operations on a virgin area Section 2 of the Act has to be complied with ...,..."

16. Reverting to the argument of the petitioner's counsel that as no notification under Section 20 of the Forest Act, 1927,declaring the forest in question as "reserved forest" had been issued therefore, prior approval of the Central Government was not required, we find ourselves unable to agree. Under Section 2 of the 1980 Act, there are two prohibitions. The first is that the State Government would not be empowered to declare a reserved forest asceasing to be so, and the second is that any forest land or any portion thereof cannot be used for non-forest purpose. The words important in Clause (ii) of Section 2 are : "any forest land. The word "forest" has not been defined in the Act. This word has been used in the general sense, which means "all lands bearing vegetative associations demarcated by trees of any size exploited or not, capable of producing wood of other forest products of exerting an influence on the climate or on the water regime or providing shelter for livestock and wildlife." This definition has been given by Food and Agriculture Organization (F.A.O.) of the United Nations. The prohibition, thus, being that no forest land or any portion thereof can be used for non-forest purposes, prior approval of the Central Government would be needed. Mining operations would clearly be covered by the Explanation appended to Section 2 of the 1980 Act. The Explanation includes "any purpose other than reafforestation". Mining operation is definitely a purpose other than reafforestation. For what no permission or approval of the Central Government is required under Section 2 is for converting a land into a forest of a forest which had been destroyed or finished, to reconvert it into forest. This is in keeping with the object for which the Act was passed, the same being to check further deforestation.

17. A Division Bench of the Andhra Pradesh High Court in Anupama Minerals v. Union of India, AIR 1986 Andh Pra 225, held that :

'Indisputably, using a forest land or a portion thereof for the purpose of mining is a non-forest purpose..........."

18. This decision of the Division Bench was although not approved in its entirety by the Full Bench in G. Raghava Das v. Govt. of Andhra Pradesh, AIR 1987 Andh Pra 166, but the portion quoted above was approved by the Full Bench in paragraph 8 of its judgment.