District Administration in

India

The Collector and Land Administration

C.K.Koshy IAS (Retd)

Importance of Land Administration
 Land is the sine qua non for any human
activity. Essential to any Planner.
 Town and Country Planning-Land Use
Planning a must for orderly growth and
development
 Relation between individual and land most
fundamental, primeval and sacred
relationship
Role of Collector in Government
 Collector’s role in the Executive arm of
Government in the State.
 Collector’s position under Constitution.
 Division of Country into administrative units.
State-Division-Districts-Subdivisions-Tehsils-
Circles-Villages
 Collector as the representative of Govt. at District
level.
 Collector-The cutting edge of Line Function
 Administrative Units
State

Division Division Division

District

Sub-Division

Tehsil/Taluka

Circle

Village
 Collector as Controller of Land
 Custodian of Land Records under the
Bombay Land Revenue Code

 Head of the Land Acquisition machinery

 In non-Panchayat areas, accords

permission for Non Agricultural use of
land.
 Survey of India
 Oldest Scientific Department of the Govt. of
India. Set up in 1767.

 Nation’s principal mapping agency.

 Best “geodetic’ control series in the world.

 Achieved unique task of surveying a

subcontinent.
 Cadastral Survey
 Derived from Latin “Cadastre” meaning
registry of land.

 Definition: Survey to determine and define

land ownership and boundaries”
 Importance of Revenue Records

 Defines and determines ownership of

land, tenancies, heir ships, titles.
 Defines crops grown
 Defines Public spaces: roads, grazing
grounds, nallahs, forests
 Essential for land use planning
 The Village Records
The Village: Fundamental unit of
administration.
 Talati: The custodian of village land records
 The fundamental building block of British
Empire.
 “The Manual of Revenue Accounts of the
Village, Taluka and Districts of Gujarat
State” by F.G.Hartnell Anderson M.A. ICS
(1st Jan 1929)
 Evolution of Village Forms

 1825 onwards

 1895: 42 Forms reduced to 34 Village

Forms.

 Further Reduced to 18 Village Forms

 18 Village Forms
 VF 1: Aakar bandh. List of all lands in the village. Survey
numberwise, Area, occupancy roads, easement rights.
 VF 2: N.A and Special Uses Register. Maintained in 3
parts. 1. Lands outside S.nos. 2. Land in temporary NA
use. 3. Lands granted revenue free for special use.
 VF 3: Register of Inami Land. Land given by Govt for
various purposes. Total of seven (now six) uses. Eg.
Devastan Lands.
 VF 4: Miscellaneous Revenue. Levies for use of land for
less than five years.
 VF 5: General Abstract of Area and Revenue.
(Tharavbund) Total ‘demand’ of Land Revenue of village
 18 Village Forms (Contd)
 VF 6: Record of Rights. Heirship,
Partition, Sale, Other rights. Any
Changes: Notice under Section 135D is
necessary. Has to be updated
constantly.Duty of every citizen to reprt
acquisition of rights.
 VF 7/12: Combination of VF 7 and 12.
 VF VII-XII

Combination of VF VII ( Diary of Mutations)

and VF XII ( Record of Crops and
Tenancies)
 Village Form VII-XII
 VF VII:
1. Popular name of field
2. Survey number
3. Area
4. Type of occupancy
5. Name of occupant
6. Other Rights
7. Area cultivable/fallow
8. Pot Kharaba
9. Levy
 Village Form VII-XII
 VF XII:
1. Year
2. Name of cultivator
3. Season
4. Type of crop and Area
5. Source of Irrigation
6. Details of trees
 18 Village Forms (Contd)
 VF 8A: The Khatawahi. Holding Register, Khatawise.
1. Occupants name
2. Khata Number
3. Details of all survey nos. held.
4. Areas
5. Land Revenue
All interlinked with VF 6 and XII-XII

 VF 8B:Total ‘demand’ of Land revenue, Khataderwise.

(Entirely based on VF 8A)
 18 Village Forms (Contd)
 VF 9: Receipt book of Collection of Govt. levies. To
be given to each Khatedar in lieu of money
collected.

 VF 10: Register of Remittances to Taluka of Govt.

levies.To be maintained in three copies. 1. Taluka
Treasury 2. Taluka Office 3.To be retained in the
village.
 18 Village Forms (Contd)
 VF 11: Arrears of Land revenue and Trial
Balance Sheet of village.
 VF 13: Tulwari. Total of all cropped land
and fallow land and crops and areas.
(Now generated by computer from
appropriate columns of VF 12)
 VF 14: Register of Births and Deaths: Birth
days important for all Govt. purposes. Also
critical for heirship rights.
 18 Village Forms (Contd)
 VF 15:Cattle Register

 VF 16: Sources of Water Supply

 VF 17: Inward Outward Correspondence

 VF 18: List of Books, Manuals, Standing

Orders
 The Bombay Land Revenue Code
1879
 All lands belong to Government.
 A person is a “occupant” of land if he is in
legal possession of it. (“holder in actual
possession of land…..”)
 Occupant can transfer the land or
bequeath it.
 However under certain conditions, Govt.
can prevent the transfer of land. (Section
69 of the BLR code 1879)
 The Bombay Land Revenue Code
1879
 Restrictions on transfer. For eg. Under
Section 73 AA A tribal is not permitted to
transfer his land except with the prior
permission of the collector.

 Under Section 69, all mines and Minerals

are the property of Govt.
 The Bombay Land Revenue Code
1879
 Section 37(1) of BLR Code 1879: All public
roads,lanes, paths,…lands, rivers, lakes,
…..bed of the sea…which are not the property
of individuals….Are….the property of Govt.
 Section 37(2) of BLR Code 1879: Resolution
of disputes
 Sections 38, 39 & 39A: Protection of common
property, eg Gaucher lands
 Categorization of use of Land
 Agriculture
 Residence
 Industry
 Commerce
 Others. Eg. Schools, Hospitals etc.
 Non Agricultural Permission
 Sections 65, 65A, 66 and 67 of BLR Code
1879:
An occupant of agricultural land can use it only
for agriculture. For any non-agricultural
purpose, prior permission of Collector is
required
Collector to give his decision in three months.
If no reply is forthcoming permission deemed to
be given
 Non Agricultural Permission
 Who can Apply: Only the occupant, NOT
Developer.
 Authority:

Collector for land within area of Nagarpalika

Municipality, Notified Area, Cantonment area.
DDO for land in rural areas under Zilla
Panchayat.
Time limit: reduced from 90 days to 45 days for
residential purpose and 60 days for others
 Non Agricultural Permission
 Opinions to be sought from:
 Where Town Planning is final
1. Title Clearance
2. Executive Engineer
3. LAQ Officer
4. 4. Collector…… (a) ULC ACT
(b) New/Old Tenure
premium
(c) Govt. dues.
(d) For Petrol pumps etc.
Explosives Act
 Non Agricultural Permission
 Where Town Planning is not final:
Opinion of the following are compulsory:
District Town Planner
Executive Engineer( State and Panchayat)
LAQ Officer
City Survey Supdt.
Industries Officer (Contd.)
 Non Agricultural Permission
 District Magistrate
 District Health Officer
 Collector
 Civil Aviation Authorities
 Military
 Gujarat Electricity Board
 Issues in Grant of NA Permission

Corruption

Time/Delay

Alternate mechanisms?
Thank You