Section 20: Compensation for disturbance of surface rights

(1) The Corporation shall pay to the owner or occupier of any private land or the occupier of land held under a State lease or the subject of a right of occupancy, such sums as may be a fair and reasonable compensation for any disturbance of the surface rights of such owner or occupier and for any damage done to the surface of the land upon which any prospecting or mining is being or has been carried on, and shall in addition pay to the owners of any crops, economic trees, buildings or works damaged, removed or destroyed by the Corporation or by any agent or servant of the Corporation compensation for such damage, removal or destruction.
(2) The Corporation shall not be liable to pay compensation to any such owner or occupier in respect of any underground workings of the Corporation unless such underground workings have caused damage of a character mentioned in subsection (1) of this section.
(3)
For the purpose of this section-
"private land" means any land in respect of which a person is entitled to exercise a right of occupancy under the Land Use Act;
[Cap. L5.]
"economic trees" means trees which are for the time being declared to be protected trees under the Forestry Act and all trees within a forest reserve.