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TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Sec. Importance of the problem-Zamin-
I.
Page 1 to 10.
Sec. IL
Proprietorship of the soil,of waste
lands, Forest lands, and subsoil rights.
Page 11 to 22.
Right to trees,
Page 129 to 133.
11
I understand permanancy to extend to
Jummah only and not to details of the settle-
ment : for many
regulations will certainly be
hereafter necessary for the further security of
the ryots in particular. It is evident that the
only mode of remedying these evils is to
establish such rights I agree with
Mr. Shore ( Sir John Shore ) that some
interference on the part of the Government is
undoubtedly necessary for adjusting a demand
"
of the zamindar on the ryots .
SEC. III.
Questions Analysed.
* "
F.N. In essence there is no difference
between a ryot holding lands in a zarnindari
village and one holding lands in a Govern-
ment village." (Sir Thomas Munro).
* "
F.N. In essence there is no difference
between a ryot holding lands in a zarnindari
village and one holding lands in a Govern-
ment village." (Sir Thomas Munro).
"The
origin of the zamindar's office was
comparatively a modern one and whatever its
origin, the zamindars derive their rights
from the state which could not confer more
than it has possessed and exercised." (The
Board of Revenue's considered opinion as
recorded after full enquiry on the matter in
its proceeding No. 7843 dated 2-12-1864.)
*
ryot was the Rajabhagam of the Govern-
ment's share of the produce of the land. The
right of the Government which is recognised
in the act to interfere and settle the amount
of Rajabhagam when the lawful rate of rent
fixed by contract decree or otherwise is not
fair or equitable depends ultimately oh the
theory, that it is p *oper for the Government
to see that the zamindar gets from tTie ryot
thw fair and equitable rajabhagam nol more
"
and no less. (Justice Reilly in 63 M. L. J.
450 at page 485.)
mentioned above.
katagiri, Gorru
is the basis. Here the
ploughing capacity of the ryot is the standard*
one gorru being roughly equal to A.C. 3-12
cents. In the Chittore District what are
* '
called Guntas
is the basis for renting, the
like
'
Sadalvar Madari Kasuvu and
'
'
Nagari are collected. During the times
of collections the grain rent of the Estate due
from the ryot is valued at the market rates in
the towns without deducting for cartage or
Merchant's and money payment is
profits,
demanded accordingly by the estate. The
ryots complain that they are higher figures
than the actual prices and they have no option
to challenge the prices quoted by the Estate's
Officials, who
according to them quote only
the higher prices obtaining at a particular
Period and place. This is called the "Niruku''
way of calculations there. A study of these
valuations gives that the consolidated value
of the rent and its other additions is no where
less than R 18/- per acre while it ranges up
to RS- 59/- also in some places. A fairly large
area belongs to a rate of Rs, 39/~ per acre %
Even for black paddy it comes to Rs, 36/- ( as
c an be seen from the Dittam of Tharimchedu
village of Thiruthani Division ) while the
53
Proposals:
SEC. IV.
IRRIGATION WORKS.
The irrigationworks and sources capable
of further improvement are of several kinds.
There are the biggest tanks constructed during
the Hindu and Mohammadan rule, but
neglected now by the zamindars. There
are again some big rivers also utilised for
irrigation in the zamindaris. There are hun-
dreds of jungle streams and nalas. There are
again many irrigation channels which are off-
takes from the rivers dammed by the British
Government such as the anicuts of the Kistna
and Goda^ari and the projects of Rishikulya
and Vamsadhara. Another category of irri-
gation works is wells and ponds.
Tanks: Some of the tanks in Zamindaris,
like the Kandoor Tank in Chitoor District
command even and many hun-
5,000 acres,
dreds of tanks have, not less than 1,000 acres
each. All most all these are constructed
uuder ancient Hindu rule. An inspection of
these tanks will reveal thatngjLgyen 25% of
them are in good order an^^f^^^^^ly b e
called as irrigation w^*^
surprise, not even one
20
loft o. *** ii
78
PROPOSALS.
SEC. V.
K1ST BUND, CURSED JOINT PATTA-
ARBITRARY METHODS AND COERCIVE
PROCESS FOR COLLECTION.
ACCOUNTS & UNJUST CREDITINGS-
CHANGE IN THE AGENCY OF COLLEC,
TION-A LOGICAL NECESSITY.
EIST BUND.
In Estates Kist Bund begins hardly
many
before the ryot cuts the crop i e., December-
4
91
IRREGULAR CREDIEING&IRREGULAR
ACCOUNTS AND UNJUST CREDITINGS.
Several cases of double collections and
refusal to issue receipts for collections made
were brought to our notice. Again there
were complaints that rents paid for current
fasli are credited to the past faslis and to-
wards time-barred arrears. There are also
numerous complaints from the ryots that pro-
per information will not be generally gi en to
ryots as regards to their liabilities by the
administration. In O. S. 386 of 35, on the file
96
THE AGENCY.
But the real question is about the actual
agency to collect rents in zamindaries. It
must be brought into line with the Govern-
ment system. There are village officers in
zamindari villages as there are in Government
97
SHROTRIEMDARS, MANIAMDARS or to
Government officers as Tahsildars, Amuldars,
Ameens, or Tanadars, the payment which
have always been made are universally
termed as Dues of the Government."
44
That the origin of the zarnindar's office
was comparatively a modern one and that,
whatever its origin, zamindars derived. their
rights from the state which could not confer
more than it has possessed and exercised,
44
That the State asserted and often in
later times exercised the power of resuming
the exercise of its rights from the zamindars,
without thereby altering the terms and condi-
tions of the ryot's tenure.
44
That the framers of the Permanent Settle-
ment proposed to relinquish to the zamindars*
100
SECTION VI,
SEC. VII.
SERI LANDS.
This category of land is
practically of
recent creation. Seri land strictly
speaking
must be either land cultivated by the zamin-
dar and his men are with the hired labour
or
such land as is really set apart with the inten-
tion of future self cultivation of the
zamindar-
This really the intention of the legislature
is
in recognising these two
categories under the
present Act. But
what a tragic abuse of law
it is. An enquiry into it will reveal that in
many estates within the last 20
years thou-
sands of acres were brought under
this head
with the intention of
continuing the old
practice of rack-renting and
evicting the
ryots. How is this seri land created ?
' Bv
27 J
106
Proposals :
grant of
bought in lands should be
some rules made by local
to see that the really needy ryt
preference being given to
them in sales.
SEC. VIII.
COMMUNAL LANDS,
44
Geographically considered a village
was a group of land holdings aggregated in
one place with one or more than one group of
dwellings situated somewhere in the area
with a tract of scrub jungle and grazing
ground attached ". ( vide Manual of standing
information of the Madras Presidency page
53 para 9. )
1. Grazing grounds.
2. Burial ground.
3. Thrashing floor.
4. Irrigation tanks, and channels, ( in-
cluding drainage channels ).
5. Cattle stands.
6. Public gardens.
7. House sites.
8. Foot paths,
9. Tanks and ponds.
10. Artizan and service inam.
109
' '
To give a
typical instance a Venkatagiri
ryot of Nidigallu gave up leasing of the
Kancha being unable to pay the high rate and
as a protest against the invasion of the
immemorial usages. But after some time he
could not continue unless he allowed his
it
6 '
FISHING RIGHTS,
The age long fishing rights of the village
community also are similarly interfered with
116
by the Estates.
QUARRIES.
This is another grievance complained of
ever since the passing of the Estates Land
Act. From time immemorial the estates
were selling stone from the quarry only to
outsiders after freely meeting the demands
of their villages. Now rates ranging from
Rs, 0-1-0 to Rs.0-2-6 for cart load are charged.
HOUSE SITES.
CONCLUSION.
There should be an inquiry into the en-
croachments of communal lands and commu-
nal rights of the villages and into the commu-
nal needs. All communal land must be re-
demarcated irrespective of time and limi.
tation or place. Adequate arrangements
tor extension and creation of communal lands
at a low cost must be made only where they are
to be carved out from ryoti land. Where there
are government or zamindari waste lands*
these must be carved from the same free of cost-
1. Illegal cesses
2. Collections made in the name of
custom.
3. Exactions of compulsory labour
"
PROPOSALS.
The law should be modified penalising in
roads and of theencroachments of the Estates
against the customary rights of hill
men inclu.
dingj their rights to podu other manner of cul-
tivatoin and individualliberty of the Hill-me n
and ryots. All rates on forest villages should be
abolished. Sufficient area should be set apart
129
TREES,
Even after 29 years after the Estates
Land Act, it is a wonder that some estates
continue appropriating all the post act and
pre-act trees to themselves. What are called
Tadi Valayams in Pithapuram are collected
from ryots. In some estates income for toddy-
drawing is collected by zamindars like those
of Munagala. There are instances where
even after collecting tree values the ryot is
still prohibited to enjoy them. There are
some instances where the land pattadar is
different from the tree-pattadar. The penal-
ties even when a twig is cut from the trees
are very heavy. -The ryot cannot use even a
1
SEC. XII.
SEC. XIII.
LANKA RYOTS
Series in Lankas are opened by occupa-
tion of ryoti land when it comes out from sub-
mersion. It is represented by the Challapalli
ryots that of the Acres 6,000 of Patta land ex-
isting in 1850 half the area has become seri in
this wa^ and that the latter ctrea is in addition
to it. Many lankas in East Godavari and
Kistna are charged with sand being mate-
rially reduced in fertility. No reductions in
the former high rates are allowed. The
Challapalli and Pithapuram lankas may be
taken as examples. Lanka grazing lands are
leased contrary to the usage while Pithapu-
ram Estate makes a,n income of Rs, 1500 on
Mulakallanka land in this way. Challapalli
Estate gets in tens of thousands by leasing
lands for grazing in Lankas. Even for mere
44 1
SEC. XIV.
RYOTS' ORGANISATIONS.
Collective spirit or activity amongst the
ryots is systematically discouraged in all the
estates. Ryots are only allowed to represent
or negotiate with the estate individually.
Kangundi is perhaps the proudest exception
which could assert the collective will of the
ryots over the zamindari rnal-administration.
Divisions created amongst the ryots by false
inducement to some could only be removed by
the statutory recognition of peasant associa-
tions. We are at a loss to know why the
Estates do not try to understand the view
point of the ryots as represented by the
Andhra Provincial Zamin Ryots' Association,
the Provincial Ryots* Association, and their
branches.
Agraharam & Mokhasa Ryots:-These ryots
specially complain that they could not yet
settle themselves peacefully in their lands and
so in some villages ryots are still ejected from
their lands; they also state that their rate s
are high. Their rights given by the law must
be well protected.
"
in somevillages the collections of Demadu
"
maraools amounting to thousands of rupees
are enjoyed by the estates and the temples
are in the same ruined and uncared condition'
similarly the condition of the depressed
classes for want of house sites is deplorable.
beyond description.
117
SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS.
From the material presented herein above
under the various heads and from our study, it
is clear: that the Zamin Ryot community
and the Zamindari area are economically and
politically important factors in the nation's
economy the Zamindari area, though rich in
;
PROPOSALS.
The following is the summary of our pro-
possals for the interpretation of relationships,
revision of Law and the reform of the Estates
Land Act. This summary is based on the
memorandum of this committee a copy of
which is previously submitted to the parlia-
mentary enquiry committee at Vizag centre,
i 11
and the proposals given under each heading
the previous pages of this memor indura. We
request that proposals under the appropriate
heads and the previous memorandum be per-
used for details. Further we beg to state that
the proposals made under various head^ are
inter related and that such cannot be con-
sidered by themselves without going into
their bearing up on the other.
It must be laid that the permanent settle-
ment and other regulations should be interpre-
tted subject to the rights of the ryots and
community of ryots and the common usages
of the country side and in consonance with
national economy. All the legal decisions
which are repugnent to and derogate from the
above should be deemed void to that extent.
All the contracts reserving mining rights
a n favour of the zamindar should be null and
void.
The
disposal of the waste lands should be
regulated by rules giving preference to the
needy landless agriculturists of the village.
All tha premiums on lands should be abo-
lished.
All the existing high rents in the zamin-
daries should be brought down to the level of
ihe rates on similar soils with similar condi-
tions in neighbouring ryotwari areas prevail,
ing in the pre-war period. The lower rates,
if any, in the z^mindari areas should not be
touched. But this levelling down of the rates
should only be done as a temporary measure
of relief and in the nearest future there should
be a thorough over-hauling of the present
unscientific revenue system of both zamindari
and ryotwari areas to remodel the same on an
equitable and fair basis in accordance with the
up-to-date principles of taxation based on the
ability of the community of producers.
There should be
compulsor^^jin^y and
record of rights for the
reas^^^O/i^^e
appropriate section, and
sals made
foj^o^b^^Se^^^,
therein.
39
154