(i) The contract will be considered effective from the date of commencement of contract period or lease period as may have been specified in the sale notice or the date of issue of possession order whichever is later and the Forest Contractor shall be at liberty to enter, take possession and work the unit from that date after tendering to the Range Officer and the Forest Section Officer concerned, the possession certificate in Form VI signed by him or his authorised agent:
Provided that the forest contractor shall be deemed to have taken the possession of the unit in a satisfactory condition in any case after ten days of issue of the possession order if, in the meanwhile, no possession certificate in Form-VI is tendered.
(ii) On expiry of the period of contract or on its termination under the rules, the forest contractor shall hand over the area to the Range Officer or an officer authorised by him not below the rank of Forester within fifteen days of the expiry of the period of contract or the date of termination as the case may be and obtain receipt in Form-VII thereof:
Provided that if delivery is not made over within the stipulated period of the Range Officer or an officer authorised by him not below the rank of Forester shall be at liberty to take delivery and make an inventory or irregularities, condition of the coupe and the like in the presence of at least two witnesses and the observation made in such an inventory shall not be questioned by the Forest contractor and he shall abide by the factual observation made thereon:
Provided further the forest contractor is at liberty to deliver the coupe back even before the expiry of the period of contract if he has completed his work in terms of the contract.
PART-IV Matters relating to compliance with terms of the contract