Section 27
Section 27
When any royalty, fee, cost, charge or expense is due and payable by any person to the State for or in respect of any forest produce, the amount thereof shall be deemed to be a first charge on such produce or on any other forest produce in the possession of such person, and such produce may be taken possession of by an authorised officer and may be retained by him until such amount has been paid.
(2)
If any amount mentioned in subsection (1) of this section is not paid within one month of the seizure thereof an authorised officer may cause the forest produce seized to be sold by public auction and the proceeds of such sale shall be applied in the first instance in payment of the amount due and of the expenses incurred in the seizure and sale and the balance thereafter shall be paid to the person entitled thereto:
Provided that if no such person can be ascertained with reasonable diligence such balance shall become the property of the State after the expiration of a period of three months from the date of such sale.
Improvement of forests generally.