Srinagar, Aug 11: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has issued detailed guidelines to balance forest conservation with the recognition and settlement of legitimate rights of forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers under the Forest Rights Act, 2006.

The Department of Forest, Ecology and Environment, through Circular No. 07-JK(FST) of 2026, has directed all concerned departments and authorities to strictly follow statutory provisions governing forest land, encroachment and forest rights.
The guidelines require all actions to conform to the Indian Forest Act, 1927, the Forest Rights Act, 2006, the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, applicable environmental laws, judicial directions and instructions issued by competent authorities.
The Government said the objective is to ensure that forest protection and ecological integrity are not compromised while genuine claims of forest-dependent communities are settled through the prescribed legal framework.
Under the guidelines, whenever occupation of forest land is reported, Forest authorities must verify the land’s status and classification, examine forest and revenue records, determine the nature and extent of occupation and assess the period of occupation and other relevant evidence. Any claim made under the Forest Rights Act must also be examined.
Where necessary, forest and revenue records are to be reconciled and the concerned areas properly demarcated to prevent erroneous identification, overlapping claims and unauthorised occupation. Such verification or demarcation, however, will not prejudice any claim pending under the Forest Rights Act.
The Government has further directed that where an occupation is found to be unauthorised and is not covered by a duly recognised forest right or otherwise protected by law, appropriate action may be initiated for its prevention or removal in accordance with the applicable legal provisions and prescribed procedures.
At the same time, the circular makes clear that pending determination of any Forest Rights Act claim, the existing forest character and ecological integrity of the area must be protected. No activity that alters the physical status of land, degrades forest resources or damages forest growth will be permitted.
The Forest Department has also been directed to extend necessary assistance to Gram Sabhas, Sub-Divisional Level Committees, District Level Committees and other authorities involved in verification and settlement of forest rights claims.
Claims concerning protected or ecologically sensitive areas will have to be examined strictly under forest, wildlife and environmental laws, besides judicial directions and other statutory requirements.
The Government said the Indian Forest Act provides the framework for protection and management of forests, while the Forest Rights Act establishes a mechanism for recognising eligible forest rights. Both laws, it stressed, must be implemented in their respective spheres while ensuring that genuine rights are protected without undermining forest conservation.
The guidelines come after the Tribal Affairs Department, through Circular No. 01-JK TAD of 2026 dated July 30, also reiterated the procedure for settlement of claims of forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers.
Forest Minister Javed Rana said conservation and community rights must move together.
“The basic rights of our tribal communities cannot be compromised. Forest conservation and the legitimate rights of Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers must go hand in hand, with every action guided by law, fairness and justice,” he said.