(1) This Act may be called 1[the Maharashtra Land Improvement Schemes Act.]
In this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context,-
1[(1) The 2[State] Government shall constitute in each district a Board consisting of the Collector, the District Agricultural Officer, the 3[District Superintendent Agriculture Officer] and such non-official persons 4[not exceeding five] as may be appointed by the 5[State] Government.
4. Power of 1[Board or Company] to direct preparation of land improvement scheme and matters for which scheme may be prepared.- (1) 2[The Board or the Company] may direct the preparation of a land improvement scheme of any area within its jurisdiction. A scheme may make provision for any of the following matters, namely :-
1[5. Publication of scheme and inviting objections.- (1) The draft scheme prepared under section 4 shall be published by the Board or the Company in the Official Gazette, and in the village and at the headquarters of the taluka and of the district, in which the lands proposed to be included in the above scheme are situate.
1[6. Report of Inquiry Officer 2[or Company Officer].- (1) The Inquiry Officer 3[or Company Officer] shall hear such objections as are made to him in person, consider all objections duly submitted under section 5 and submit his report together with the objections to the Board 4[or, as the case may be, to the Company].
[Decision of disputed claims.] Rep. by Bom. 7 of 1945, s. 6, read with Bom. 29 of 1948, s. 2.
[Report of Inquiry Officer.] Rep. by Bom. 7 of 1945, s. 6 read with Bom. 29 of 1948, s. 2.
1[9. Power of Board 2[or Company] to sanction scheme with or without modifications.- (1) After consideration of the objections and the report submitted under sub-section (1) of section 6 and of any further report 3[which the Board or Company may required the Inquiry Officer or Company Officer to submit, the Board or, as the case may be, the Company] may sanction the scheme with or without modifications or reject it :
On the date on which the scheme is published in the Official Gazette under sub-section 1[(2)] of section 9, it shall come into force and shall have effect as if it were enacted in this Act.
1[10A. Power of 2[State] Government or 3[Board or Company] to make regulations.- For the purpose of carrying out the objects of a scheme which has come into force under section 10, 4[the 5[State] Government or] the Board 6[or the company] may make regulations requiring any person or 7* * persons or the public generally to take certain action or to refrain from doing certain acts in respect of any matters supplementary and incidental to the scheme.] 8[The regulations made by the Board or the Company shall be made in consultation with the State Government.]
1[11. Power to enforce scheme.- (1) After a scheme has come in to force under section 10, the Board 2[or Company, as the case may be,] shall appoint an officer to execute it.
(1) If, in consequence of any work carried out 1* * * under the scheme 2[any person, including the 3[Government] other than the owner of the land in which the work is done,] is likely to be benefited, he shall pay such amount 4[as the 5[State] Government 6[or the company] may determine as contribution to the owner of the land, if the work has been carried out by the owner, or to the 7[State] Government 8[or the Company], if the work has been carried out by the Executing Officer] :
1[12A. Penalty.- Any person who contravenes or causes any contravention of any of the provisions of a scheme which has come into force under section 10, or any of the regulations made under section 10A, or does any act which causes damage to any of the works carried out under the scheme or fails to fulfil any liability imposed upon him under section 13 2[or 13-A] or sub-section 3[(4)] of section 25 4[or of section 25A] shall, on conviction, be punishable with fine which may extend to fifty rupees or with simple imprisonment for a period which may extend to one month, or with both.]
1[13. Statement.- (1) 2[In the case of any work under the scheme, wholly carried out before the commencement of the Bombay Land Improvement Schemes (Extension and Amendment) Act, 1958 (Bom. XXX of 1958), the Executing Officer] shall prepare a statement giving for any specified area the following particulars-
1[13-A. Executing Officer to prepare recovery statements and entries to be made in Record of Rights, etc.- (1) Save as otherwise provided in section 13, the Executing Officer shall, on the completion of part of any work to be carried out, under a scheme, prepare an interim statement specifying therein-
1[14. Obligation of persons to maintain and repair works.- (1) Every person shown in the statement prepared under section 2[or 13-A] as liable to maintain and repair work shall, to the satisfaction of 3[the District Superintendent Agricultural Officer] 4[or the Company Officer] and within such time as the said officer may fix, maintain and repair the work in his own land and in any other land in respect of which he is shown as liable in the said statement.
1[15. Payment and recovery of amount.- Any amount or instalment thereof 2[payable to the State Government under] sections 11, 12 3[or 14] which is not paid on the date when it becomes due under this Act shall be deemed to be an arrear of land revenue due on account of the land for the benefit of which the scheme has been sanctioned under this Act or the work is or repairs are carried out and shall be recoverable as such arrear by any of the methods 4[provided in the 5[Code].]
1[15A. Amount due to Company to be first charge on land of defaulter.- The amount or instalment thereof due from any owner in respect of land payable under sections 11, 12 or 14 to the Company shall [subject to the prior payment of land revenue (if any) due to the State Government thereon] be a first charge upon that land to which every other charge created in respect of that land shall be postponed and may be recovered according to the provisions of section 15B.
Where any amount or any instalment thereof payable to the Company by or under this Act is not paid on the date when it becomes due-
1[15C. Where loan is given by scheduled bank, transfer of rights of Company to the bank for speedy recovery of its dues from owners of lands benefited.- (1) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, where any work under any scheme is to be carried out or is completed by the Company, with the help of the funds borrowed by it from any scheduled bank and a charge is consequently created upon any lands in favour of the Company under section 15A, all the rights and liabilities of the Company for recovery of cost (including interest) of the said work or of any part thereof, with the priority therefor under section 15A, shall stand transferred to and vest in the scheduled bank-
For the purpose of preparing, sanctioning or executing any scheme 1[or repairing or maintaining any works under any scheme], any person authorised by 2[the Board, the Collector or 3[the District Superintendent Agriculture Officer]] 4[or the Company] may, after giving such notice as may be prescribed to the owner, occupier or other person interested in any land, enter upon, survey and mark out such land, and do all acts necessary for such purpose.
(1) Any authority other than a Board empowered under this Act to make an inquiry shall make the inquiry in the manner provided for holding a summary inquiry under 1[the 2[Code]] and all the provisions contained in 3[the Code] relating to the holding of a summary inquiry shall, so far as may be, apply.
Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, it shall be lawful for the owner of any land included in a scheme to enhance the rent payable by a tenant of the land by such amount and subject to such conditions as may be prescribed.
(1) Nothing in the Indian Registration Act, 1908 (XVI of 1908), shall be deemed to require the registration of any document, plan or map prepared, made or sanctioned in connection with a scheme which has come into force.
[Delegation of powers by Provincial Government] Rep. by Bom. 7 of 1945, s. 16 read with Bom. 29 of 1948, s. 2.
1[21. Delegation.- The 2[State] Government and subject to the control of the 3[State] Government the Collector or 4[the District Superintendent Agriculture Officer] may delegate to any officer 5[or person] of the powers conferred on it or him or any of the functions to be performed by it or him by or under this Act.]
The members and Secretary of a Board, the Inquiry Officer and any officer or person authorised or appointed by the Board 1[or the Company], the Collector, 2[the District Superintendent Agriculture Officer] or the 3[State] Government under sub-section (2) of section 4, sub-section (1) of section 11, 4* * * section 16, 5[section 21] or sub-section (2) of section 25, as the case may be, shall be deemed to be public servants within the meaning of the Indian Penal Code (XLV of 1860).
(1) No suit, prosecution or other legal proceedings shall be instituted against any public servant or person duly authorised under this Act in respect of anything in good faith done or intended to be done under this Act or the rules made thereunder.
(1) The 1[State] Government may, by notification published in the Official Gazette, make rules for the purpose of carrying into effect the provisions of this Act.
1[25. Power of State Government to direct preparation of scheme in certain circumstances.- (1) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, the State Government may direct the preparation of a scheme providing for any of the matter specified in sub-section (1) of section 4 in any area in the following cases, namely :-
1[25A. Power of State Government to direct preparation and execution of scheme in area declared to be scarcity area.- (1) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, if the State Government 2[is of opinion that a state of scarcity prevails] or is likely to prevail in any area, 3[or that it is necessary to provide suitable work to relieve rural unemployment in any area], 4[or that it is necessary in the public interest to carry out immediately any work of land improvement in any area for meeting an emergency of any kind whatsoever] it may make a declaration to that effect. Such declaration shall be published in the Official Gazette. On the publication of such declaration, the State Government may direct the Collector 5[or the Company] to appoint an officer as the Executing Officer for the purpose of immediately 6[constructing embankments, water courses or any work of land improvement in such villages or areas as may be specified]. Such direction shall also require the Board to prepare a scheme providing for matters specified in clauses (i) and (ii) of sub-section (1) of section 4, or any other matters specified in sub-section (1) of that section in such villages 7[or areas].
If upon an application made by the Board, the State Government is satisfied that it is necessary so to do, the State Government may, at any time 1[after consulting with the Company, if necessary,] by notification in the Official Gazette, revoke any scheme after it has come into force and upon such revocation the provisions of this Act, except section 15, shall cease to apply to such scheme. Such notification shall also be published in the village and at the headquarters of the 2[taluka 3* *] and of the district in which the lands included in such scheme are situate.]
26. Expenditure incurred by 1[State] Government to be charged on 2[Consolidated Fund of State].- The expenditure incurred by the 3[State] Government in pursuance of anything done under this Act shall be charged on the 4[Consolidated Fund of the State].
1[26A. Effect of transfer of rights and liabilities of Government to 2[Agriculture and Rural Development Bank].- Where rights and liabilities of the State Government in relation to the recovery of costs or part cost of the works carried out under any scheme from any owners of lands included in such scheme stand transferred to 3[an Agriculture and Rural Development Bank] under section 143A of the Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act, 1960 (Mah. XXIV of 1961), then notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, every such owner of land shall pay the amount recoverable from him under this Act to such Bank ; the amount of such cost or part cost shall be paid by, and recovered from such owners of lands in accordance with the provisions of section 143A of the Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act, 1960 (Mah. XXIV of 1961), and the rights and liabilities transferred to the Bank shall be entered in the records referred to in sub-section (2) of section 13 or as the case may be, sub-section (3) of section 13A.]
1[26B. Power of State Government to transfer schemes to Company.- (1) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, the State Government may, by notification published in the Official Gazette, transfer to the Company such schemes which have come into force under section 10, subject to such terms and conditions mutually agreed upon between the State Government and the Company (including any condition regarding giving of any guarantee by the State Government) as may be specified in the notification.
1[27. Savings.- All Boards constituted for a division under section 3 shall be dissolved on the day on which the new Boards shall be constituted under section 3 as amended by the Bombay Land Improvement Schemes (Amendment) Act, 1948 (Bom. LXXIII of 1948) :
Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, the Board constituted, any directions issued, appointments made, scheme approved, regulations made and, all things done by or on behalf of the Board before the date on which the Bombay Land Improvement Schemes (Amendment) Act, 1948 (Bom. LXXIII of 1948), came into force shall be deemed to be and to have always been validly constituted, issued, made, approved or done and shall not be deemed to have invalidly constituted, issued, made, approved or done by reason only of the fact that the Agricultural Commissioner or the Director of Agricultural Engineering acted as a member of the Board before the said date.
1[28A. Repeal and saving.- (1) On and from the commencement of the Bombay Land Improvement Schemes (Extension and Amendment) Act, 1958 (Bom. XXX of 1958), the Hyderabad Land Improvement Act, 1953 (Hyd. Act XIX of 1953), and the Saurashtra Land Improvement Schemes Act, 1954 (Sau. Act XIX of 1954), shall subject to the provisions of sub-sections (2) to (5) stand repealed.
Nothing in this Act shall apply to Khar lands in respect of which a scheme is or has been sanctioned 1[or deemed to be made under the Maharashtra Khar Lands Development Act, 1979 (Mah. XI of 1979)].]