The Gazetteers Department

The tahsildar is the executive officer in charge of a tahsil and the naib-tahsildar has executive charge of a mahal. There is a sub-treasury in every tahsil or mahal except at those places where the state bank functions as treasury. In Bhir district the state bank has branches at Bhir, Ambejogai and Manjlegaon which perform the treasury work. Practically there is no difference between the functions and duties of a tahsildar and those of a naib-tahsildar. The staff in each tahsil or mahal is composed of two or three awal karkuns, 8 to 10 clerks, 40 talathis and 3 to 4 circle inspectors. The tahsildar and naib-tahsildar are entrusted with the performance of following functions:—

1. Revenue: The tahsildar is required to report on almost all revenue matters to the prant officer and the collector to enable them to take their decisions and to execute the orders passed by the collector and the deputy collector.

In regard to the annual demand and collection of land revenue he has to keep ready all village and tahsil forms, i.e., jamabandi and other statements which are necessary for conducting the annual jamabandi of the tahsil by collector or the deputy collector. The annual jamabandi is an audit of previous year's accounts of the land revenue along with the checking of the current year's account. The demand for agricultural revenue is to be settled and, there are remissions and suspensions to be calculated upon the demand fixed in lean years. Remissions and suspensions are given in accordance with the crop annewaris. The tahsildar is the most intimately concerned officer for determination of the amount of the remissions and suspensions. The amount of non-agricultural assessment and fluctuating land revenue (such as that arising from the sale of trees, stone or sand, etc.) is added to the demand of fixed land revenue.

The work of collection of land revenue is also the responsibility of the tahsildar. He has to issue notices under Section 118 of the Hyderabad Land Revenue Act, 1317 Fasli, imposing the cost of such notices on the defaulters for recovery, destrain and sale the defaulter's moveable property under Section 119 of the Hyderabad Land Revenue Act, 1317 Fasli and issue notices of forfeiture of the land. He has, however, to obtain the prior sanction of the deputy collector or the collector before the actual forfeiture of the land under Section 124 of the Hyderabad Land Revenue Act, 1317 Fasli.

In addition to the collection of land revenue, he has to effect recoveries of tagai loans, pot-hissa measurement fees, boundary marks advances and irrigation cess, the dues of other departments like sales tax, income tax, etc., whenever the members of the public fail to pay such dues to various departments, as an arrear of land revenue from the defaulters at the request of the concerned department. It is also his duty to see that there is no breach of any of the conditions under which inams are held and has to bring any such violation to the notice of the collector through the concerned deputy collector.

He has to make enquiries and get ready the material on which the prant officer has to pass his orders under Dastural-Amal-Dehi and Watan Act. He can himself pass orders as to the appointment, remuneration, period of service, suspension and fining of the inferior village servants, the grant of leave to them and alike.

Tagai: Applications for grant of tagai are generally received by the tahsildar who has to instruct the circle inspector to make enquiries to see the sites for the improvement of which tagai loan is sought, to ascertain whether the security offered is sufficient, to determine the reasonable instalments for repayment, etc. He can himself grant tagai up to Rs. 2,000 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 prant officer or the collector, as the case may be.

The tahsildar's duties with regard to tagai do not end with its payment to the loanees, but he has to see that the tagai is properly utilised, inspect the work undertaken with it, control the payment and make recoveries from the defaulters.

The tahsildar is primarily responsive for the administration of the Hyderabad Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act within his jurisdiction.

Quasi-judicial; The quasi-judicial duties which the tahsildar performs include the inquiries and orders under the Mamlatdars' Courts Act (II of 1906), execution of civil court decrees and decision in the disputed cases in connection with the record of rights in each village.

Magisterial: Every tahsildar is ex-officio tahsil magistrate of his tahsil. As tahsil magistrate, he has the following powers under the Cr. P. C.: —

1. to disperse any unlawful assembly (Section 127);

2. to use civil force to disperse unlawful assembly (Section 128);

3. to require military force to be used to disperse unlawful assembly (Section 130);

4. to apply to district magistrate to issue commission for examination of witness (Section 506);

5. to make order as to the disposal of property regarding which an offence is committed (Section 517);

6. to recover penalty on forfeited bond (Section 514) and to require fresh security (Section 514-A); and

7. to sell property of a suspected character (Section 525).

If authorised by the state government or the district magistrate, a tahsil magistrate may exercise the following among other Powers:

1. to pass orders prohibiting repetitions of nuisance (Section 143):

2. to issue orders calculated to prevent apprehended danger to public peace (Section 144); and

3. to hold inquests (Section 174).

The tahsildar is also in charge of the management of sub-jail. He has to keep the district magistrate and the sub-divisional magistrate informed of all the criminal activities in his charge and take steps incidental to the maintenance of law and order in his charge. In case of serious disturbance of the public peace, the tahsildar carries great responsibility. As an executive magistrate, on the spot, he has to issue orders and be in charge of the situation till his superiors arrive.

Treasury and accounts: The tahsildar or naib-tahsildar is in charge of tahsil or mahal treasury which is called a sub-treasury in relation to the district treasury. They work as sub-treasury officers in charge of the sub-treasury.

All moneys due to government, such as, land revenue, taxes recoverable from public, as well as cash remittances received from Post and Telegraph Department, deposits of all kinds, i.e., revenue deposit, civil court deposit, endowment deposit, etc., are accepted into the sub-treasury of the respective tahsils. Payments are also made from sub-treasuries to the concerned parties on production of bills by the departmental officers which bear pay order of the district treasury officer or on production of cheques issued by the administrators.

The sub-treasury officer makes certain payments directly at sub-treasury to the departmental officers wherever they are allowed to do so.

Being an ex-officio sub-treasury officer, the awal karkun (treasury) signs all challans irrespective of the amount and looks after the work of the sub-treasury.

Each sub-treasury is also a local depot for stamps: general court fees stamps, postal stamps, etc., of all denominations, and store of opium for sale to permit holders.

Out of six sub-treasuries in the district all are non-banking treasuries except those at Bhir, Ambejogai and Manjlegaon where the cash business is conducted by the branches of the State Bank of Hyderabad.

No currency chest is opened in any non-banking treasury in the district. As such, surplus balances over and above the normal balances are remitted to the State Bank of Hyderabad at Bhir. As no remittance facilities are available, no drafts or cheques are honoured or issued by the sub-treasuries.

The sub-treasury officer verifies the cash balance as well as stock of stamps and opium in the sub-treasury, on 25th of each month except in February and March. In February and March it is verified on 23rd and 31st of the months, respectively. He has also to send the half-yearly verification certificate of stamps to the treasury officer.
Sub-treasuries are annually inspected by the collector or by the deputy collector under whose jurisdiction they are located.

Other administrative duties: The tahsildar is the central figure in the administration in his tahsil. He is responsible to the collect-or and the plant officer, whom he must obey and keep them constantly informed of all political happenings, outbreaks of epidemics and other important matters. He must help and guide the officers of all departments at the tahsil level in the execution f their respective duties. The tahsildar is also responsible for the cattle census which comes under the purview of the agriculture department. He has to take prompt action for the control of epidemics and to render assistance in preventing outbreaks of epidemic diseases.

Though the tahsildar is not expected to work directly for local self-governing bodies, he is usually the principal source of the collector's information about them. He is responsible for the administration of his tahsil just as the collector is responsible for the administration of the district.