L.A. Bill No. 15 of 1972, Tamil Nadu Land Reforms (Fixation of Ceiling on Land) Second Amendment Act, 1972

What the document is

L.A. Bill No. 15 of 1972 was published by the Government of Tamil Nadu in the Tamil Nadu Government Gazette Extraordinary on 30 March 1972. It was introduced in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on the same date and included a Statement of Objects and Reasons signed by the Minister for Food and Revenue. The document is a Bill proposing amendments, rather than the text of a final enacted law.

The proposed law was named the Tamil Nadu Land Reforms (Fixation of Ceiling on Land) Second Amendment Act, 1972. It was to be treated as having commenced on 1 March 1972.

Main changes proposed

L.A. Bill No. 15 of 1972 proposed the following changes to the land ceiling framework:

• Reduce from 60 standard acres to 40 standard acres the maximum holding under the provision covering a family of more than five members.
• Remove references excluding hill areas from several provisions and delete the exemption for hill areas.
• Add a conversion measure for 1.6 acres of wet land irrigated by certain Government sources.
• Add an entry for wet land irrigated by another Government source in Kanyakumari district, with the figure 6.62 in the relevant table.
• Omit the existing provision that allowed the Government to issue orders to remove difficulties in applying the Act.
• Omit Schedule I and make related changes to provisions concerning Government orders.

Industrial and commercial land

L.A. Bill No. 15 of 1972 proposed a new permission system for industrial or commercial undertakings, other than co-operative societies, that genuinely carry on industrial or commercial operations.

• An undertaking seeking to hold or acquire land above the ceiling area would have to apply in writing to the Government.
• The Government could approve all or part of the land, impose conditions or refuse permission.
• Permission would identify the land covered by it.
• The Government would consider the nature of the operation and whether the land was needed immediately or in future.
• Permission could be cancelled if its conditions were breached.
• Earlier Government approval would not by itself allow continued excess holdings. Permission under the proposed system would also be required.

Cultivating tenants and property checks

L.A. Bill No. 15 of 1972 proposed allowing an authorised officer, for recorded reasons, to leave limited excess land with a cultivating tenant. The limit stated is half an acre for wet land and one acre for dry land.

A buyer or owner dealing with large holdings, hill land, Kanyakumari wet land, cultivating tenancies or industrial land above the ceiling should note that the document records proposed changes. The supplied text does not confirm whether the Bill was later enacted.