GENERAL ADMINISTRATION

MAMLATDARS

The Mamlatdar is the officer in executive charge of a taluka. There is a sub-treasury in every taluka. Each taluka has on an average two or three head clerks (aval karkuns). 15 or 18 clerks, 60 talathis, two Circle Officers and two Circle Inspectors. The duties of Mamlatdar.-, fall under various heads.

The Mamlatdars' revenue duties are to prepare the ground-work for the Sub-Divisional Officer and the Collector to pass their orders upon. When these orders are passed he has to execute them.

In regard to the annual demand of land revenue he has to get ready all the statements necessary for what is called the making of the jamabandi of the talukas. The jamabandi is partly an audit of the previous year's accounts and partly an inspection of the accounts of the current year. The demand for fixed agricultural revenue is settled, but there are remissions and suspensions to be calculated upon that fixed demand in lean years. Remissions and suspensions are given in accordance with the crop annewaris with the determination of which the Mamlatdar is most intimately concerned. To the demand of fixed revenue is added the amount of non-agricultural assessment and of fluctuating land revenue, such as that arising from the sale of trees, stone or sand, fixed when individuals apply for them.

The brunt of the work of collection also lies on the Mamlatdar. He can issue notices under section 152. Land Revenue Code, inflict fines for delay in payment under section 148, distrain and sell moveable property, and issue notices of forfeiture of the land though he has to take the Sub-Divisional Officer's or the Collector's orders for actual forfeiture.

He has to collect, in addition to land revenue, tagai loans, pot hissa measurement fees, boundary marks advances and irrigation revenue, the dues of other departments like sales tax, income-tax, and forest, when there is default in their payment, at the request of these departments to recover the dues as an arrear of land revenue.

It is also his duty to see that there is no breach of any of the conditions under which inams are held and, whenever there is any breach, to bring it to the notice of the Collector through the Sub-Divisional Officer.

Applications for grant of tagai are generally received by the Mamlatdar who has to get enquiries made by the Circle Officer and Circle Inspector, see the sites for the improvement of which tagai is sought, ascertain whether the security offered is sufficient, determine what instalments for repayment would be suitable, etc. He can grant tagai upto Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 200 under the Land Improvement loans Act and Agricultural Loans Act, respectively. A Mamlatdar. who has been specially empowered, can grant tagai upto Rs. 2,500 and Rs. 500 under the Land Improvement Loans Act and the Agricultural Loans Act. respectively. In other cases he has to obtain orders from the Sub-Divisional Officer or the Collector.

The Mamlatdar is primarily responsible for the administration of the Bombay Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act (LXVII of 1948) within the area of his charge.

Quasi-judicial: In his capacity of Mamlatdar as a taluka officer, he has to perform multifarious quasi-judicial duties which include: (i) inquiries and orders under the Mamlatdar's Courts Act (II of 1906); (ii) the execution of civil court's decrees; (iii) the disposal of applications from superior holders for assistance in recovering land revenue from inferior holders; and (iv) enquiry in respect of disputed eases in connection with the record of rights in each village. The last two are summary enquiries under the Land Revenue Code.

Magisterial: Every Mamlatdar is ex-officio the Taluka Magistrate of his taluka. As first class Taluka Magistrate, he has the following among other powers under the Criminal Procedure Code:

(i) power to command unlawful assembly to disperse (section 127),

(ii) power to use civil force to disperse unlawful assembly (section 128),

(iii) power to require military force to be used to disperse unlawful assembly (section 130),

(iv) power to apply to District Magistrate to issue commission for examination of witnesses (section 506).

(v) power to recover penalty on forfeited bond (section 514) and to require fresh security (section 514-A),

(vi) power to make order as to disposal of property regarding which an offence is committed (section 517), and

(vii) power to sell property of suspected characters (section 525).

If authorised by the State Government or the District Magistrate, the Taluka Magistrate may exercise the following among other powers:-(1) power to make orders prohibiting repetitions of nuisances (section 143), (2) power to make orders calculated to prevent apprehended danger to public peace (section 144). and (3) power to hold inquests (section 174).

The Mamlatdar is also in charge of the management of the sub-jail. He has to keep the District Magistrate and the Sub-Divisional Magistrate informed of all criminal activities in his charge and lake steps incidental to the maintenance of law and order in his charge. In a case of serious disturbance of public peace, the Mamlatdar carries, great responsibility, for, as the senior executive magistrate on the spot, he is expected to issue orders and carry on till his superiors arrive.

Treasury and accounts : As a Sub-Treasury Officer, the Mamlatdar is in charge of taluka treasury which is called sub-treasury in relation to the district treasury. Into this treasury all money due to Government in the taluka―land revenue, forest, public works and other receipts―is paid and from it nearly the whole of the money expended for Government in the taluka is secured. The sub-post offices in the taluka receive their cash for postal transactions from the treasury and renin their receipts to it. The Sub-Treasury Officer pays departmental officers on cash orders or demand drafts issued by Treasury Officers and on cheques, except where certain departments are allowed to present bills direct at the sub-treasury. The Sub-Treasury Officer also issues Government and bank drafts.

When the Mamlatdar is away from his head-quarters the Treasury Awal Karkun is ex-officio in charge of the sub-treasury and of the accounts business, and he is held personally responsible for it. During the Mamlatdar's absence he is authorised to sign receipts irrespective of the amount.

The taluka sub-treasury is also the local depot for stamps―general, court-fee and postal―of all denominations and for the stock of opium held there for sale to permit-holders. A few sub-treasuries have been specially authorised to discontinue the maintenance of stock of postal stamps. In such cases, the sub-post office at the taluka head quarters is supplied with postal stamps from the post offices at the district head-quarters.

A currency chest is maintained at almost all sub-treasuries in which surplus cash balances are deposited. From it withdrawals are made to replenish sub-treasury balances whenever necessary. Sub-treasuries are treated as agencies of the Reserve Bank for remittance of funds.

The Mamlatdar has to verify the balance in the sub-treasury, including those of stamps and opium, on the closing day of each month, which for the convenience of the district treasury is fixed on the 25th of all months, except February when it is the 23rd. and March when it is the 31st, the latter being the closing day of the financial year. The report of the verification, together with the monthly returns of receipts under different heads, has to be submitted by the Mamlatdar to the Treasury Officer at Ahmadnagar. The sub-treasuries are annually inspected by either the Collector or the Sub-Divisional Officer.

Other administrative duties: The Mamlatdar's main duty lies towards the Collector and the Sub-Divisional Officer whom he must implicitly obey and keep constantly informed of all political happenings, out-breaks of epidemics and other matters affecting the well-being of the people, such as serious mal-administration in any department or any hitch in the working of the administrative machine due, for instance, to subordinate officers of different departments being at loggerheads.

He must help officers of all departments in the execution of their respective duties in so far as his taluka is concerned. In fact, he is at the service of all of them and is also the connecting link between the officers and the public whom they are all meant to serve. This is particularly so in departments which have not a local taluka officer of their own. The Mamlatdar is also responsible for the cattle census, which really comes under the purview of the Agriculture Department. The Co-operation Department expects the Mamlatdar to propagate co-operative principles in his taluka. He has to execute the awards and decrees of societies in the taluka unless there is a special officer appointed for the purpose. He has to take prompt action in respect of epidemics and to render to the Assistant Director of Public Health and his assistants every help in preventing out-breaks of epidemic diseases and suppressing them whenever they occur.

Under executive orders, the Mamlatdar has to provide the military departments with the necessary provisions and conveyances when any detachment marches through the taluka.

The Mamlatdar's position in relation to other taluka officers, e.g.. the Sub-Inspector of Police, the Sub-Registrar, the Range Forest Officer, and the prohibition officials is not well-defined. They are not subordinate to him except perhaps in a very limited sense but are grouped round him and are expected to help and co-operate with him in their spheres of activity.

Though the Mamlatdar is not expected to work directly for local selt-government bodies, he is usually the principal source of the Collector's information about them. He is responsible for the administration of his taluka just as the Collector is responsible for that of the district.

In relation to the public well-being, the Mamlatdar is the local representative of Government and performs generally the same functions as the Collector, but on a lower plane.

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