law: Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980
  2. Restriction on the de-reservation of
  
  forests or use of forest land for non-forest purpose. – 
  Notwithstanding anything contained in any
  
  other law for the time being in force in a State, no State Government or other
  
  authority shall make, except with the prior approval of the Central Government,
  
  any order directing - 
  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;
  (iii) (1)[that any forest land or any portion thereof
  
  may be assigned 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 Government;
  (iv) that any forest land or any portion
  
  thereof may be cleared of trees which have grown naturally in that land or
  
  portion, for the purpose of using it for reforestation].(2)
  [Explanation- For the purposes of this
  
  section "non-forest purpose" means the breaking up or clearing of any
  
  forest land or portion thereof for- 
  the cultivation of tea, coffee, spices,
  
  rubber, palms, oil-bearing plants, horticulture crops or medicinal plants;
  b) any purpose other than reforestation, but
  
  does not include any work relating or ancillary to conservation, development
  
  and management of forests and wild-life, namely, the establishment of
  
  check-posts, fire lines, wireless communications and construction of fencing,
  
  bridges and culverts, dams, waterholes, trench marks, boundary marks, pipelines
  
  or other like purposes].