The

West Bengal
Land and Land Reforms Manual

Published by
Board of Revenue
Government of West Bengal
1991
Printed at Sree Saraswaty Press (1984) Ltd.
(A Govt of West Bengal Undertaking)
11, B. T. Road, Calcutta—700 056
 FOREWORD

This very useful manual is a product of collective effort of officers of the Land & Land
Reforms Department, the Board of Revenue and the Directorate of Land Records and Surveys
under the guidance of my predecessor, Shri J. K. Kohli.

The editor and compiler of this manual Shri P. K. Dutta, who was then Joint Secretary to the
Govt. of West Bengal in the Land & Land Reforms Department, is unfortunately no longer with
us. His outstanding career was brought to a pre-mature end by the hand of death before this
manual could be printed and published.

I record my sincere appreciation of the skill and diligence of late Shri Dutta in making such an
admirable job of it within such a short time.

I hope that this manual will be very useful not only to the officers of this department, but also
to members of public who have to come into contact with the Government machinery for work
connected with Land Reforms.

A. K. CHATFERJEE
Calcutta, Member
The 1st January, 1992 Board of Revenue, West Bengal

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 PREFACE

The need for this comprehensive Manual covering the whole gamut of activities of the Land
and Land Reforms Administration of this State has long been keenly felt for the following
reasons:

(i) Preparation and revision of record-of-rights in land has to be carried out today in
accordance with the provisions of the West Bengal Land Reforms Act, 1955 as amended from
time to time. But, the Survey and Settlement Manual which was the only Manual providing
procedures for preparation of record-of-rights, was last published in 1935. There was hence, an
urgent need for a new Manual embodying the procedures for revision of record-of-rights in
accordance with the law in force.

(ii) Implementation of land reforms, as envisaged in the West Bengal Estates Acquisition
Act, 1953 and the West Bengal Land Reforms Act, 1955 in general, and in the West Bengal Land
Reforms (Amendment) Act, 1972, the West Bengal Land Reforms (Amendment) Act, 1981 and
the West Bengal Land Reforms (Third Amendment) Act, 1986 in particular, has greatly enlarged
and diversified the activities of the functionaries at various levels of the Land and Land Reforms
Administration. These activities are of tremendous importance in reducing disparities in the
socio-economic structure of the agrarian society of this State. Hence, the need for a Manual
embodying working procedures to streamline, co-ordinate and accelerate all such activities as
well as to ensure strict compliance of the relevant Acts and Rules in force in all such activities has
been keenly felt

(iii) Previously, two mutually independent and vertically parallel administrative setups used to
deal with land and land reforms matters at all levels of the District Administration. Their
functions often overlapped creating thereby confusion and impediments in the Land and Land
Reforms Administration. Since, 1989, those two set-ups have been integrated at all levels of the
District Administration under a unified command. Besides, for the first time, land and land
reforms offices have been extended down to Gram Panchayat evel and more than three thousand
new offices have been set up for the purpose. The need for a Manual was also felt for smooth
functioning of this restructured administrative machinery.

(iv) The West Bengal Government Estates Manual which was renamed in 1977 as the West
Bengal Management Manual, mainly dealt with management of lands owned by Government It
was considered extremely inadequate because it covered only a small part of the diverse activities
of the Land and Land Reforms Administration of this State.

(v) In the past, various instructions were issued by the State Government as well as by the
Board of Revenue relating to land and land reforms in conformity with the amendments made to
different Acts from time to time. The functionaries at various field levels were finding it
increasingly difficult to keep track of all such instructions. So, the need for a subject wise
compilation of all such instructions in a Manual was felt.

2. The objects of this comprehensive Manual are to fulfill the above needs and to codify in a
convenient form the procedures to be followed in various activities of the functionaries at
different levels of the Land and Land Reforms Administration, regard being

3
had to the relevant Acts and Rues. It deals with more or less the whole gamut of activities and
functions of the Land and Land Reforms Administration. Chapters in this Manual have been
arranged subject wise and important steps of the procedures to be followed have been described
in proper sequence. In each Chapter, references have been made to the relevant provisions of Acts
and Rules applicable to the subject. This may enable a functionary to easily find out what
provision of law is applicable to the matter he is dealing with. This will also ensure proper
application of, and strict adherence to, the provisions of the law in force. It is hoped that
functionaries at various levels of the Land and Land Reforms Administration will find this
Manual very handy and useful in discharging their day-to-day functions.

3. All those who use this Manual are requested to bring to the notice of the Land and Land
Reforms Department through the Board of Revenue, Government of West Bengal errors and
omissions, if any, detected in this Manual.

4. This Manual is the product of a prolonged and cooperative effort. Many officers of the
Land and Land Reforms Department, Board of Revenue and Directorate of Land Records and
Surveys participated in this exercise by making individual contributions and suggesting
improvements during numerous discussions. Leading members of this team were Shri S. Singh,
Land Reforms Commissioner (Chairman), Shri N. Raghupathy, Secretary, Board of Revenue,
Shri P. K. Datta, Joint Secretary, Land and Land Reforms Department, Shri K. S. Rajendrakumar,
Director of Land Records and Surveys, Shri A. K. Chakraborti, Special Officer and Secretary,
Board of Revenue, Shri K. P. Sandilya, Special Secretary, Board of Revenue and Shri D.
Goswami and Shri B. Datta, Deputy Secretaries, Board of Revenue. Special mention must be
made of the outstanding contribution made by Shri P. K. Datta as the Compiler and Editor of the
Manual, but for whose sustained interest and commendable hard work, the preparation of this
Manual might never have been possible.

J. K. KHOLI
Secretary,
Calcutta, Land and Land Reforms Department
The 30th April, 1991 Government of West Bengal

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 CONTENTS
Sl. Chapter Subject Rules Page
No.
1 Chapter I Introductory 1-11 1-3
2. Chapter II Organisation and control 12-29 3-9
3. Chapter III Preparation and revision of record-of-rights 30-55 10-16
4. Chapter IV Mutation of names in record-of-rights 56-75 16-20
5. Chapter V Recording of names of bargadars 76-85 20-14
6. Chapter VI Bhagchash cases 86-99 24-27
(Adjudication of disputes relating to
cultivation by bargadars)
7. Chapter VII Determination of ceiling area and vesting 100-121 27-38
of lands in the State
8. Chapter VIII Determination of ceiling area of Tea 122-143 39-45
gardens, mills, factories, workshops and
for land held for dairy development,
poultry farming and livestock breeding
9 Chapter IX Assessment of the amount to be paid under 144-159 45-49
section 14V of the W. B.L.R. Act,1955
10. Chapter X Conversion of land from one class to another 160-170 49-52
11. Chapter XI Transfer of land situated within an urban 171-175 53-54
agglomeration which is used mainly for
agriculture or as an orchard
12. Chapter XII Alienation of land by raiyats belonging to 176-186 54-58
Scheduled Tribes
13. Chapter XIII Settlement of agricultural land at the dispo- 187-208 59-64
sal of Government
14. Chapter XIV Annulment of settlement made under section 209-214 64-65
49(1) of the W. B. L. R. Act.
.15. Chapter XV Principles and procedures of settlement of 215-245 65-70
lands for non-agricultural purposes
16. Chapter XVI Hats and bazaars 246-265 71-74
17. Chapter XVII Ferries, fisheries and other sairati interests 266-283 74-79
18. Chapter XVIII Settlement of disputes relating to cultiva- 284-295 79-80
tion and harvesting
19. Chapter XIX Collection of revenue, cesses, rent and other 296-324 81-89
Govt. demands and dues and maintenance of
Accounts thereof
20. Chapter XX Institutional finance to bargadars and assig- 325-358 89-94
ness of vested land
21 Chapter XXI Mining and quartymg of minor minerals 359-388 94-99
22 Chapter XXII Agricultural census 389-398 99-101
23 Chapter XXIII Court cases 399-422 101-107
24 Chapter XXIV Administrative boundaries 423-440 107-112
25 Chapter XXV Jurisdiction list 441-451 112-114
26 Chapter XXVI Stores 452-464 114-116
27 Chapter XXVII Miscellaneous provisions 465-481 117-121
28 Chapter XXVIII Registers 482-496 121-126

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