The Gazetteers Department

Revenue: The Mamlatdars revenue duties are to prepare the ground-work for the Prant 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 taluka. 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 to be calculated upon the fixed demands 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, when individuals apply for them.

The brunt of the work of collection also lies on the Mamlatdar. He can issue notices, inflict fines for delay in payment, distrain and sell moveable property, and issue notices of forfeiture of the land, though he has to take the Sub-Divisional Officers or the Collector's order 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 up to Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 200 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's duties regarding tagai do not end with the giving of it. He has to see that it is properly utilised, inspect the works undertaken, watch the repayment and make recoveries from defaulters. 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. His powers under the Act have been delegated to the awal karkuns.

Quasi-judicial: The quasi-judicial duties which the Mamlatdar performs include: (i) inquiries and orders under the Mamlatdars' Courts Act (II of 1906); (ii) the execution of civil court 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 cases 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 Taluka Magistrate of his taluka. As a Taluka Magistrate, First Class, he has the powers under the Criminal Procedure Code to command unlawful assembly to disperse; to use civil force or military force to disperse unlawful assembly; to apply to District Magistrate to issue commission for examination of witnesses; to make order as to disposal of property regarding which an offence is committed; and to sell property of a suspected character.

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, taking 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 must issue orders and carry on till his superiors arrive.

Treasury and accounts: As a Sub-Treasury Officer, the Mamlatdar is in charge of the 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-are 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 sub-treasury and remit 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 Officers also issue 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.

The taluka sub-treasury is also the local depot for stamps-general, court-fee and postal-of all denominations. A few sub-treasuries have been specially authorized to discontinue the maintenance of a stock of postal stamps. In such cases the sub-post office at the taluka headquarters 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. 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. The sub-treasuries are annually inspected by either the Collector or the Sub-Divisional Officer.

Other administrative duties: The Mamlatdar keeps the Collector and the Sub-Divisional Officer constantly informed of all political happenings, out-breaks of epidemics and other matters affecting the well-being of the people.

He helps officers of all departments in the execution of their respective duties in so far as his taluka is concerned. 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.

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

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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