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The areas now comprising the Jind district remained
under different administration viz Jind tahsil (including Safidon tahsil )
under the Jind princely state; Narwana tahsil under the patiala princely
state and villages transferred from Kaithal under the British rule. All these
areas have different revenue backbrounds. Jind Tehsil
The first summary settlement of
tahsil Jind was commenced in 1853 by Kamwar Sain , but it had to be postponed
for about 4 years due to disturbances in Lajwana Kalan-a place in Jind
tahsil. It was then effected between 1857 and 1866 by Daya Singh .The dealt
with in this settlement was 2,96,956 acres, of which an area of 194546 acres
was cultivated and the rest was uncultivated .The land revenue was assessed
at Rs.153065 and the total number of villages for which assessment was made
in the two taluqas of Jind and Safidon was 144. It was followed by second settlement
which was regular and was made between 1864 and 1873 by Samand Singh. In this
settlement the area returned was 312045 acres and the land revenue was
assessed at Rs.172567.This represented an increase of 15089 acres in area and
Rs.19502 in land revenue . The number of village in this settlement had
increased to 148. The
details of the two settlements , the area and land revenue assessed are shown
in the following table :- Details Number Number Cultivated Uncultivated Total Land Of Of Area Area Revenue Villages Houses assessed Acres Acres
Acres Rs. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 First
settlement 144
15355 194546 102410 296956 153065 Second settlement
148 14187 218541 93504 312045 172567 Increase (+) or Decrease
(-) +4 -1168 +23995 -8906 +15089 +19502
1
In January 1973, 54
villages of Kaithal tahsil were transferred to Jind district, 43 to Jind
tahsil and 6 to Narwana tahsil. 2
Phulkian States
Gazetteer (Ptiala, Jind and Nabha), 1904, P.320. The
third settlement of tahsil Jind was made by Brij Narayan in which the total
area Dealt with was 3,06,149 acres and the land revenue assessed was Rs.
210069. The number of villages assessed in this settlement was 167. It was
followed by the fourth settlement by the same officer between May, 1889 and
July, 1897. In this settlement, though the number of villages has decreased
to 165, the area measured was grater by 6957 acres, and the land revenue
assessed showed an increase of Rs.18460 due to the increase in the area under
cultivation. The area and land revenue assessed, with the increase or
decrease on preceding settlement are detailed below Number of Cultivated Uncultivated Total Land
Villages Area Area Area Revenue Third settlement 167 148177 57972 306149 210069 Fourth settlement 165 268909 44197 313106 228529 Increase(+) or decrease(-)
-2 +20732 -13775 +6957 +18460 Narwana Tahsil :-
Narwana being a tahsil in Karmgarh Nizamat was
under the revenue administration of the patiala state. The first summary
settlement on a cash basis was effected in Narwana tahsil in 1861-62 by
M.Kale Khan. It was based in an estimate of the average value of the actual
realization in kind or in cash during the previous twenty one years. The land
revenue assessed was Rs. 122142 of which Rs. 118742 was Khalsa and Rs. 3400
jagir and Muafi. The method of assessment in 1861-62
was very rough and the statedemand was too high. The demand formulated in 1861-62
became the basis of the state claim, and this was raised or lowered according
to the discretion of the local officers, who were mainly. REVENUE ADMINISTRATION
Guided by the comparative ease or
difficulty with which the revenue was collected. With the passage of time,
the minds of assessing officers, as well as of revenue payers, were
influenced by the concept accepted in British India, that the state should
limit its demand to a share of the landlord’s profits of cultivation leaving
the economic wage of the actual cultivator untaxed. The second summary settlement of
Narwana tahsil was effected by Rahim Bakhsh in 1862 for a period of three
years, i.e. from 1862 to 1865. The total area dealt with in this assessment
was 622886 bighas, of which 250626 bighas were cultivated. The land revenue
assessment of this settlement worked out to Rs. 129173,of which Khalsa
constituted Rs. 125328 and jagir and muafi Rs. 3845. It was followed by the third summary
settlement which was made by M. Fazal Hakim in 1865 for a period of 10 years
ending 1878. It covered an area of 536266 bighas, of which the cultivated
area assessed was 269114 bighas. The land revenue assessed from this
settlement was Rs. 139412 which represented an increase of nearly 10 thousand
rupees over the previous settlement. The fouth summary settlement was
conducted by Shugan Chand in 1875. It was to be effective for 12 years up to
1887. The total area in this settlement, was 557232 bighas of which the cultivated area assessed was 363999 bighas.
The land revenue, which was assessed at Rs. 145597 consisted of Rs. 141702 on
account of khalsa and Rs. 3895 on account of jagir and muafi. Although the
revenue rate in this settlement had been reduced to 6 Annas anf 1 Pie (Rs.
038) from 8 Annas and 3 Pies (Rs. 0.52) per Bigha in the previous two
settlement, the total land revenue increased by Rs. 6185 owing to a large
increase in cultivated area assessed. It was followed by another summary
settlement which was made in 1887 by Bagwan das. The area measured was 577654
Bighas, of which the cultivated area comprised 376552 Bighas. The total
amount of land revenue assessed was Rs. 150133 at the rate of 6 Annas and 4
Pies ( Rs. 0.39 ) per Bigha. In the total land revenue assessment Khalsa was
estimated Rs. 145762 and jagir and muafi at Rs. 4371. The following table shows at a
glance, the area and land revenue assessed in the summary settlements :- Details Total
Cultivated Amount
of Land Revenue Revenue Rate Area Area Khalsa Jagir and per Bigha. Muafi Total Rs A.P. (Bighas) (Bighas) (Rs.) (Rs.) (Rs.) First
settlement (1861-62) --- --- 118742 3400 122142 --- Second
settlement (1862-65) 622886 250626 125328 3845 129173 083 Third
settlement (1865-75) 536266 269114 135842 3870 139412 083 Fourth
settlement (1875-1887) 557232 363999 141702 3895 145597 061 Fifth
settlement (1887-1903) 577654 376552 145762 4371 150133 064 These summary settlement worked well
in Narwana tahsil particularly because the tahsil was benefited by the
facility of canal irrigation. The tahsil could pay its land revenue without
difficulty except in years of drought
when some suspensions were necessitated mostly in Barani villages. The total
arrears of land revenue prior to the regular settlement of 1903 amounted to
Rs. 87493 of which Rs. 41042 were remitted and the balance of Rs. 46451 was
recoverable. The first regular settlement of
Narwana tahsil was effected in 1903 by F. Popham Young. This settlement was
made for 30 years. The total area returned in this settlement was 589643
Bighas of which cultivated area measured 476606 bighas. The total number of
estates in this settlement was 137 for which the total demand of the state
was fixed at Rs. 189355 the incidence of total demand per cultivated bigha
being 6 Annas and 4 Pies (Rs.0.390). Villages Transferred from Kaithal :-
These villages when acceded to the British Empire
in 1849 along with Kaithal, were summarily settled and the assessment was
oppressive. The first regular settlement was sanctioned from 1856 to 1879,
the first revised settlement from Kharif
1886-88 to Rabi 1906-08 and the second revised settlement from Kharif
1909to Rabi 1939. After the expiry of the settlement
of Jind, Narwana and 54 villages transferred from Kaithal tahsil no fresh
settlement was undertaken and the old one ran for several years.
Subsequently, on account of the world war II (1939-45), followed by
development activities after Independence, the prices of agricultural
commodities rose considerably. The land revenue, fixed at the time of
previous settlements under the conditions then prevailing, had lost their
relationship with income from land. To meet ever-growing expenditure, the
government levied surcharge, special charge on commercial crops and
additional charge. All these proved inadequate and the
collection of these levies became cumbersome not only for revenue agency but also
for cultivators. To meet the situation the government passed the Haryana Land
Holding Tax Act, 1973. Special Assessment :-
The Punjab Land Revenue Act,
1887 was amended to provide special assessment of land, being put to a use
different from that for which an assessment was in force; and when the land
was put to use for non-agricultural purposes such as brick-kilns factories,
cinemas, shops, hotels, houses, landing grounds and other similar purpose
whether or not already assessed to land revenue. The exemption was provided
for garden, an orchard or the pasture or houses occupied by the owner for
agricultural purpose or for purposes sub-service to agriculture; for small
scale cottage industries; or for any public charitable or religious purpose.
It was further provided that residential houses in occupation of owners with
an annual rental value not exceeding three hundred rupees shall not be liable
to special assessment. The special assessment was levied on an adhoc basis as a multiple of the existing land
revenue with the extension of the Punjab Land Revenue Act, 1887 to the areas
of the present Jind district after its merger in Punjab. The enforcement of
the special assessment was suspended with effect from Kharif, 1964. Land Holdings Tax :-
In order to raise the quantum of revenue the
government had levied surcharge, special charge Cess on commercial crops and
additional surcharge. The Land Holdings Tax Act, 1973 was enforced in 1973
and thereafter the collection of land revenue, surcharge, special charge Cess
on commercial crops, additional surcharge and local rate was stopped and only
land holdings tax was collected. Land holding tax was waived off by Haryana
Govt. since 1986. REVENUE ADMINISTRATION AND LAND
RECORDS :- The unit of revenue administration
is an estate which is usually identical with the village. Each of them is
separately assessed to land revenue
and has a separate record of right and register of fiscal and agriculture
statistics. All its proprietors are by law jointly responsible for the
payment of land revenue and in their dealings with government they are
represented by one or more lambardars. Estate are grouped into patwar circles
each of which is under the charge of a patwari. About 10 to 20 of these
circles form the charge of a kanungo whose duty is to supervise the work of
patwaris . The district has been sub-divided into tahsils,
kanungo circles and patwar circle as follows:- Sr.No. Tahsil /Sub Tahsil Number of Kanungo Circles No. of Patwar Circles 1 Jind Jind 15 Kinana 16 Kandela 14 2 Alewa Alewa 12 Nagura 13 3 Julana Julana 12 Gattoli 12 4 Narwana Narwana 13 Danoda 13 Dhamtan
Sahibe 14 Ujhana 14 Dhakal 12
5. Uchana Uchana 13 Karsindhu 14 Khatkar 11 6 Safidon Safidon 15 Hatt 14 7 Pillu khera Pillukhera 20 __________________________________________________________________________ Grand Total 247 The head of the revenue
administration in the district is the Collector (Deputy Commissioner) who is
bound to respect and preserve from encroachment every private right in the
soil which has been created or confirmed by the state. He must ensure and
assist in the measures to prevent the damage to crops from causes which are
in any degree controllable by man. He must encourage and assist in every
effort made by a right holder for the development of his estate. The
Sub-Divisional Officer (Civil) is the Assistant Collector, Ist grade. But as
a measure of decentralising the revenue work the power of Collectors under
certain Acts have been delegated to the Sub-Divisional Officers for their
respective sub-divisions. The Tahsildar is in charge of the
tahsil for revenue work including revenue judicial work. He has to control
the patwar and Kanungo agency, to collect revenue punctually, to point out
promptly to the collector any failure of crops or seasonal calamity which
renders suspension or remission necessary and to carry out within his own
sphere other duties connected with land revenue administration. He is a
touring officer and his tours afford him ample opportunities to deal, on the
spot with partition cases and other matters connected with appointment of
Lambardars lapses of land revenue assignments, etc. The Patwari is inheritance from the
village system of old days. He is appointed for a circle consisting of one or
more villages. Besides the proper maintenance of records, the Patwari is
required to report to the Tahsildar any calamity affecting land crops, cattle
or the agricultural classes, and to bring to his notice alluvial and diluvial
action of rivers, encroachments on government land, the death of revenue
assignees and pensioners, progress of work made under the agriculture loans
and similar laws and the emigration or immigration of cultivators. He
undertaken survey and filled inspections help in other government activities
like distribution of relief prepares the bachh (distribution of revenue over
holdings) papers showing the demand due from each land over to the village
jama (land revenue demand). When revenue collections are in progress he must
furnish all information that may be required to facilitate the collections.
He himself not permitted to take any part in the collection of the revenue
except when any Lamberdar refuses to accept the dhal bachi (total demand from
each land owner) and no immediate alternative arrangement can be made the
Patwari is under the immediate supervision of a circle supervisor known as
Kanungo is responsible for the conduct and work of Patwaris. He constantly
moves about his circle, supervising the work of Patwaris, except in the month
of September when he stays at tahsil headquarters to check, jamabandis
received from Patwaris. The office Kanungo is the
Tahsildar’s revenue clerk. His chief work is the maintenance of the
statistical revenue records. He has also the charge of the forms and
stationery required by Patwaris, keeps the account of mutation fee, records
the rainfall and maintains the register of assignees of land revenue and
other miscellaneous revenue registers. He is the custodian of all the records
received from the Patwaris. A well ordered Kanungo’s office is an important
factor in the revenue management of a tahsil. At district headquarters, there is a
District or Sadar Kanungo assisted by a Naib Sadar Kanungo. The Sadar Kanungo
is responsible for the efficiency of Kanungos and should be in camp
inspecting their work for at least 15 days in every month from October to
April. He is the keeper of all records received from Kanungos and Patwaris.
He maintains with the help of his assistant, copies of the prescribed
statistical registers for each assessment circle, tahsil and the whole
district. The responsibility of Tahsildar and Naib Tahsildars for the
inspection and correctness of the work of Kanungos and Patwaris is, however,
not affected by he duties of the Sadar Kanungo. Water Rate :-
Water rates (occupier rates) are levied on the
area irrigated during each crop. The rates were revised a number of times and
the last revision was made from Rabi 1948. LAND REFORMS
In most of the villages in the erstwhile Jind
State of which the present Jind and Safidon tahsils were a part, the land
holders had been classified as proprietors (malikan or biswadaran). In some
villages, the cultivators had hereditary cultivating rights, and were callesd
muzarian-i-maurusi. They were not deemed to have any proprietary rights, but
had to pay a fixed rent in cash or grain as malikana to the owner. The owner
had his further advantage, that he obtained possession of the land of his
hereditary cultivator in the event of his death without male issue or next of
kin within three generations, or if he absconded and had the right to cut
trees in his holding for his dwelling house or for agricultural implements,
but not for sale. In the villages belonging to the sadars, who held the
position of biswadars, the tenants (muzarian-i-ghairmaurusi) had no
hereditary cultivating rights and they cultivated at the will of the owners,
who could eject them whenever they chose, after a harvest, unless they were
admitted to the maurusis. In the Patiala State of which
Narwana tahsil formed a part, no formal enquiry in to the right of the
tenants was made before the commencement of the first regular settlement. But
prior to the first summary settlement of 1861-62 the agricultural population
of the state was mainly composed of cultivating communities with whose
members were associated persons who had not in popular estimation any claims
to proprietary rights, yet cultivated the lands in their occupation on almost
the same terms as the recognised proprietors who belonged to the village
community and had done so for long periods. Moreover, in many cases these
occupiers had been the first to break up the land in their possession and
reclaim the waste (multor). They had also been accustomed to pay a share of
the produce of their lands direct to the State or else to pay rent at revenue
rates. Such tenants were not considered liable to ejectment, although prior
to 1858, no distinction between occupancy tenants an tenants-at-will was
avowedly made, and it was not until 1867 that the word maurusis became
current in the State. In that year an order was issued that no person
cultivating with a proprietor should be deemed a maurusi tenant and in 1872,
after the passing of the Punjab tenancy Act of 1868, it was held by the State
authorities that cultivators who had held continuous possession for 30 years
should be deemed to be occupancy tenants. But in practice this rule was not
observed, and sometimes 25 years’ possession was held sufficient to confer
occupancy rights. It was at one time intended to introduce the Act of 1868
into the State and though this was never formally done, the provisions of the
Act were referred to and followed in deciding tenancy cases, In the records
of the summary settlements of 1875, both proprietors and tenants were
promiscuously entered in one column as asamis, and as a matter of fact very
few tenants cared to assert their claims to occupancy rights, believing that
they would never be disturbed in their possession While on the other hand the
landlords never thought of ejecting them as long as they paid their rent
which was usually equal to the amount of the revenue, though in biswadari
villages the rent was a fixed share of the produce, plus a serina of one or two
ser per maund paid as seigniorage, with certain other cesses and menials
dues. On the commencement of the first regular settlement referred to above
the landlords in the pattidari and
zamindari villages (especially in those of the latter which were held by
ahlkars of the State) began to change the fields which had long been in the
occupation of the tenants to prevent their being declared maurusis of their
old holdings, ousting them in most cases without legal process and without
regard to the proper time for ejectment. On the other hand, some cultivators
who were out of possession since long, took advantage of the weakness of the
landowners and forcibly took possession of fields which they had seldom or
never cultivated. With a view to preventing these acts of violence, the
Punjab Tenancy Act of 1887 was introduced in the state with modifications
necessitated by local conditions, with effect from 1901. Accordingly, a
tenant who immediately before the commencement of this Act had a right of
occupancy in any land under any law or rule having the force of law which
previous to the passing of this Act governed the relation between landlord
and tenant in the Patiala State was held to have a right of occupancy in that
land. No significant change occurred in
the system of holdings in the district during the first half of the 20th
century. There were mainly occupancy tenants and tenants-at-will. The
position changed after Independence when the government decided to introduce
land reforms. The landlords feared deprivation of their land which had not
been in their possession for years. They began to bring these lands under
direct management. They also started partitioning their lands or transferred
these in the names of relatives and friends with a view to reducing the areas
to their holdings. This resulted in harassment of the tenants. It was to
ameliorate the lot of harassed tenants that the government embarked upon the
policy of ‘land for the tiller’ in which the ownership of the land vested
with the actual tiller. To give effect to this policy of abolition of
intermediaries to improve the condition of tenants, the government enacted
various legislations. Since the areas comprising the Jind district were part
of laws of the PEPSU (Patiala and East Punjab State Union), the laws enforced
in the PEPSU were applicable to the district. The following legislations were
applicable in the district :- 1.
Pepsu Abolition of
Ala Malikiyat and Talukdari Rights Act,1954 2.
Pepsu occupancy
tenants (Vesting of Proprietary Rights) Act, 1954 3.
Pepsu Tenancy and
Agricultural Lands Act, 1955 4.
Pepsu Bhoodan Yagna
Act, 1955 The East Punjab Utilisation of Lands Act, 1949,
the Punjab Resumption of Jagirs Act, 1957 and Punjab village Common Lands
(Regulation) Act, 1961, were enforced after the merger of PEPSU with Punjab
in 1956. Under the east Punjab
Utilization of Lands Act,1949 the
government enforced the utilization of every inch of available cultivable
land for growing more food and other essential crops. A notice to take over the
land is served on every land owner who allowa his land to remain uncultivated
for 6 or more consecutive harvest and the land thus taken over is leased out
to other for a term ranging from 7 to 20 years, priority being given to
harijans. Under the provisions of this Act, an area of 246 acres of land was
taken over in this district up to March,1975. The Pepsu Occupancy Tenants (Vesting
of Properietary Rights) Act, 1954 declared all the occupancy tenants, their
as the owners of the land. The Pepsu Tenancy and Agriculture
Lands Act, 1955, has been enacted with the objective of providing of security
to the tenants, their settlement on the land declared surplus, fixing of a
ceiling on the total holding of a land owner, etc. Under the Act,4621
standard acres of land was declared surplus by the end of March,1975 of which
902 standard acres had been allotted to 402 tenants. A surplus area of 2903
standard acres was available for allotment .The available area has been
allotted to the tenants under the scheme for utilization of surplus area
under the Haryana Ceiling on Land Holdings Act 1972. The state government provides
financial assistance to those tenants and landless agriculture workers who
are resettled on the surplus area for reclamation purposes and also advance
loans for building houses and sinking wells. The Pepsu Bhoodan Movement the
object of which is to receive donations of land and distribution these among
landless persons who are capable of cultivating these personally .No land was
received in donation under this Act. The Haryana ceiling on Land Holdings Act, 1972 :- The Government of India appointed a Central Land Reform Committee in
1970. The committee submitted a report in 1971, following which guidelines
were drawn up on the basis of the conclusions of Chief Ministers’ conference
in July,1972. A policy was evolved for removing economic disparities, by
making available additional land and securing its more equitable distribution
among landless persons and also for enlarging the scope of employment. This
could be done by further reducing the existing permissible area with a
landowner. The Punjab Security of Land Tenures Act, 1953 and the Pepsu
Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act,1955, which contained inter alia
provisions relating to ceilings on agricultural land holdings were in force
in different parts of Haryana
including the Jind district, The flaws in these Acts, which came to
notice during their implementation called for amendment of their provisions.
Experience had also shown that under the existing law, surplus land could not
be transferred expeditiously to eligible tenants and landless persons as was
intended. The increase in population had increased unemployment and this also
called for making more land available to the landless persons as was
intended. The breakthrough in agricultural production development of
high-yielding varieties of seed and availability of other inputs like
irrigation, fertilizers, etc. provided opportunity to further limit the
individual holding. It was, therefore, decided to amalgamate the two Acts, in
so far as the ceiling in agricultural land was concerned. A new Act called
the Haryana ceiling on Land Holding Act, 1972, came into being. This has
further reduced the ceiling on land and defined the family, instead of the
individual, as a unit for the purpose of assessing the permissible area. The new Act provides for a
permissible ceiling of 7.25 hectares in case of land under assured
irrigation, capable of growing at least two crops in a year and 10.9 hectares in case of land under
assured irrigation capable of growing at least one crop in a year, whereas
the ceiling in respect of land of all other types including land under
orchards is 21.8 hectares. The crucial date to determine the permissible area
of a person or family consisting of husband wife and their minor
children excluding a married minor
daughter has been fixed as January 24, 1971. It has been decided to allot the
land declared surplus to eligible persons at the rate of 2 hectares of land
under assured irrigation or land of equivalent value. This ceiling has been
fixed keeping in view the fact that with intensive cultivation and modern
agricultural practices it should be possible for the allottee to make a
comfortable living with the earning from this area which has been assessed as
an economic holding. Under the Act 2434 cases was filed
by the big landowners. Out of this 2431 cases have been disposed of by the
end of March 2000. 2 cases are
pending in the Punjab and Haryana high court Chandigarh. 6526 Acres area was
declared surplus out of this area 6397 Acres area has been allotted to the
2994 beneficiaries and possession has been delivered . Consolidation
of Holdings :-
The process of bringing together small and
fragmented pieces of land into a compact block for better and intensive
cultivation is known as the consolidation of holdings. It results into
enormous saving of time and resources
besides facilitating farm management. Consolidation operations in the Jind
district were started in 1952 and by the end of March, 1975, the
consolidation work was completed in all villages except village Malvi. As a result of consolidation operations,
the production of food grains has increased. Last
Revised on 28/02/2001 Top of the Document |