Kerala - Obtain No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for Tree Felling (Cutting)

Advertisement

Procedure

Apply In-Person:

1. An applicant in need of “No Objection Certificate – NOC” for felling trees in Patta (private) land and Revenue land, shall apply with the respective district forest officer / divisional forest officer having jurisdiction over the area.
2. Contact link AND The applicant shall also approach the local panchayat office to know the details Panchayat contact link in the given page please select the hyperlink against the respective state as per requirement for contact details.
3. Please visit the respective office and consult with the designated authority. The authority will provide the details for applying. If applying in person is entertained, then please collect the application form or write on a plain A4 sheet as advised.
4. Please complete the application form. Attach all the required documents as per the “Required Documents” section of this page along with the appropriate payment of fees as per acceptable mode (challan/DD) and submit it in 3 sets to the designated receiving authority as advised.
5. The fees can be paid through challan/DD or as per the advised mode. Please refer to the “Fees” section of this page for more details.
6. After receiving the application, the authorities will examine the application and other documents furnished to verify the ownership of the sandalwood trees that are proposed for felling and selling.
7. In case of queries, the authority will raise the query as appropriate. If all are in place, the application will be accepted.
8. Authorities will make entries about this application in the manual record or electronically using the computer and provide a record number for reference.
9. The authority will also sign and seal one set (photo copy of the original) of the application and return it to the applicant. This signed application is also the proof for the submission of the application.
10. Please keep them safe for future reference.
11. ”SMS” triggered update on application status will be sent to the applicant’s mobile. So, keep track of the notification from the department.
12. The department will process the application internally. The application will be forwarded to the concerned forest range officer/the designated authority as per the jurisdiction.
13. The forest range officer/the designated authority will inspect the site on a scheduled date.
14. The forest range officer/the designated authority will inspect the trees as applicable. With the consent of the owner of the land, the forest range officer/the designated authority will affix the departmental mark as applicable on each tree.
15. At the end of the inspection, the forest range officer/the designated authority will submit the inspection report to the department.
16. The DFO/the concerned authority will visit the site to check the trees physically and make sure that the information provided on the report is correct.
17. Once the physical checking is satisfactory, the issuing authority will evaluate the case. Based on the application details, documents, inspection report and physical verification, the issuing authority will sanction the “NOC”.
18. The status, viz. Approval will be conveyed to the applicant through a “SMS” or through applicable norms.
19. The “NOC” will be hand-delivered or delivered through post or as per applicable norms.
20. This entire process can be completed within 20 to 45 days depending on the tree type as appropriate or as per the timeline advised by the respective department authority.

Note:

• One has to obtain the “NOC” for felling the sandalwood trees in Patta (private) land and Revenue land, the tree(s) after felling shall be sold only to the Government.
• For the other Scheduled timber trees namely Black wood, Rose wood, Silver oak, Teak and Red Sanders, no permission for felling of trees is required, however prior intimation is mandatory 15 days or as per the timeline set by the respective state before felling.
• For all other tree species, no permission or intimation for felling of trees is required in Patta (private) land and Revenue land until otherwise notified by the local government.

Advertisement

Required Documents

• Application form
• Applicant’s Residence proof (ration card / Passport / Aadhaar card / Driving licence)
• Applicant’s Identity proof (ration card / Passport / Aadhaar card / Driving licence)
• Proof of certificate of ownership of the land (as issued by the tahsildar)
• Copy of chitta / adangal
• Copy of Jamabandi (Record of Rights)
• Copy of Patta
• No objection certificate from Co-Pattadar (if any)
• Consent of the other owners having share in the right to land and the trees (if any)
• "FMB" (Field Measurement Book) sketch of the patta land
• Demand draft for the fees as per requirement
• Notarized self-declaration affidavit
• Any permission obtained for the particular land to grow sandalwood trees
• Aadhaar Card

Note:

• For every state, the requirement of the documents can be different. So, please get the required documents list from the authorities.
• Apart from the above documents, the authorities may ask for additional information or documents. Please provide them for processing.

Office Locations & Contacts

Kerala Forest Department
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Phone: 0471-2331255,2518321
Fax: 04712326677
Email: [email protected]
Contact link AND link2 please find the address from this link for your respective state.

Eligibility

• Applicant should be a citizen of India.
• Those who are 18 years and above are eligible to apply.
• Any owner who is a legal titleholder of a non-forest land shall apply for “NOC” for tree felling.

Fees

• Please pay the fees as advised by the authorities.
• The applicant may be asked to pay a fee for the registration of Property mark for the classified trees. The amount may be Rs.200 or the amount as applicable.
• An application fee of Rs.50 or the amount fixed by the respective state is applicable for those applicants who are intending to fell the trees for establishment of industry.

Validity

• The “NOC” will be valid as per the time specified on it and also based on the species classification.
• The “NOC” stands valid as per the details provided below.
  • Felling of trees for Self consumption- 30 days.
  • Felling of trees with transit passes- 60 days.
  • Felling of trees in Registered Plantation- 30 days.

Documents to Use

Please attach documents that can be used by people. e.g. links

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing Time

• This entire process can be completed within 20 to 45 days depending on the tree type as appropriate or as per the timeline advised by the respective department authority.

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications.
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type="website">video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the "&" inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver,
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M" Video ID is "Y0US7oR_t3M".

Instructions

• The fee once paid by the applicant shall not be refunded under any circumstances.
• Any change of place of storage should be notified.
• The licence holder should maintain a stock register showing the sandalwood trees at the premises.
• Do not submit fake documents as proof to get the permit.
• Incomplete application will not be accepted.
• Avoid spelling mistakes while filling the application form.

Required Information

• Applicant name
• Applicant’s address
• Dag number
• Patta number
• Year of issue of patta
• If plantation is registered one, then registration certificate number
• Location details of the particular land
• Survey number of the land
• The number of trees including sandalwood trees standing on the survey number
• The number of sandalwood trees intended to be felled and sold
• Tenure of the land
• The reasons for felling the sandalwood trees
• The period within which the felling will be completed
• District
• Area/village name
• Father’s name and residence
• Pin code
• Email ID
• Mobile number
• Date of the application
• Aadhaar number

Need for the Document

• Any legal land owner intends to cut the trees form their own land should obtain the “NOC” for felling the trees depending on the species classification.
• No person shall involve in felling and selling of sandalwood trees form their own patta land without the “NOC” from the concerned district forest office or the authority concerned.
• The “NOC” will warrant the holder for felling the sandalwood trees from their own patta land that carry the registration mark as provided by the authorities at the time of inspection.

Information which might help

• The “NOC” is not be transferable.
• The extracted sandalwood trees under the supervision of the designated authorities will be transported to the nearest “Final Cleaning Depot” under proper permit.

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

Please explain what are other uses of obtaining this document/certificate.
e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

External Links

Place some external links which might help.

Others

More information which might help people.