Tamil Nadu Land Reforms (Fixation of Ceiling on Land) Amendment Act, 1971

What the Act governs

Tamil Nadu Act No. 41 of 1971 amends the Tamil Nadu Land Reforms (Fixation of Ceiling on Land) Act, 1961, as already modified by the Tamil Nadu Land Reforms (Reduction of Ceiling on Land) Act, 1970. It comes into force on a date to be specified by the State Government through a notification. The supplied text does not give that commencement date.

The amendments affect land ceiling administration generally, with specific provisions for land connected with sugar factories. They may matter to landowners, sugar factories, tenants, State controlled corporations and persons dealing with land that was subject to proceedings before the abolished sugar factory authorities.

Main changes

Tamil Nadu Act No. 41 of 1971 makes the following changes:

• It removes several definitions, clauses, subsections, sections and an entire chapter from the principal Act.
• It introduces special meanings for the commencement date and notified date where a person’s total land exceeds the ceiling area because of the 1971 amendment.
• It expands a reference to improvements or equipment by adding wells, filter points and power lines to machinery, plant or apparatus.
• It allows the Government to make arrangements for cultivating surplus land acquired from a sugar factory with sugarcane for supply to that factory.
• It permits the Government to use a State owned or State controlled corporation, including a company, to cultivate and administer such land.
• It allows the Government to notify that sugarcane cultivation is not compulsory on particular land, so another crop may be grown.
• It preserves the Government’s power to make rules for disposing of surplus land formerly held by a sugar factory.

Sugar factory tenancies and research land

Tamil Nadu Act No. 41 of 1971 provides that certain subsisting sugar factory tenancies may be treated as tenancies held by the relevant corporation for the remaining contract period. This applies where the land was within the landowner’s ceiling area immediately before commencement.

Land held by a sugar factory solely for research and seed farm purposes is exempt up to 100 standard acres, subject to the stated exceptions. The Government decides whether land is held solely for those purposes.

Abolition of specialist bodies

Tamil Nadu Act No. 41 of 1971 abolishes the Sugar Factory Board and Sugar Factory Tribunal from commencement. Their members cease to hold office, pending applications and proceedings end, and permissions, orders or decisions concerning land are treated as having no effect. The principal Act, as modified by the amendment, then applies to that land.