GENERAL ADMINISTRATION

COLLECTOR

Function.

The Collector is the head of the district administration and in so tar as the need and exigencies of the district administration are concerned, he is expected to supervise the working of the other departments also.

(i) Revenue.—The Collector is the custodian of Government property in land (including trees and water wherever situated) and at the same time the guardian of the interests of the public in land in so far as the interests of the Government in land have been conceded to them. All land, wherever situated whether applied to agricultural or other purposes is liable to the payment of land revenue except in so far as it may be expressly exempted by a special contract. Such land revenue is of three kinds viz., agricultural assessment, non-agricultural assessment and miscellaneous land revenue. The Collector's duties arc in respect of (1) fixation, (2) collection and (3) accounting of all such land revenue. The assessment is fixed on each piece of land roughly in proportion to its productivity and is revised every 30 years tahsil by tahsii. A revision survey and settlement is carried out by the Land Records department before a revision is made and the Collector is expected to review the settlement report with great care and caution. The assessment is usually guaranteed against increase for a period of 30 years. The present land revenue of the district is as fixed at the first settlement in 1909 and has not been revised thereafter. Government, however, grants suspensions and remissions in bad seasons. The determination of the amount of these suspensions and remissions is the responsibility of the Collector. As regards non-agricultural assessment it can be altered when the agriculturally assessed land is used for non-agricultural purposes. At present in this district the standard rates have been made applicable in urban areas in matters of non-agricultural assessment. In the same way unassessed land used for a non-agricultural purpose is assessed to non-agricultural rates. All this has to be done by the Collector according to the provisions of the rules under Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966. The miscellaneous land revenue also has to be fixed by the Collector according to the circumstances of each case when Govenment land is temporarily leased. It is also realised by sale of earth, stones, usufruct of trees, revenue fines, etc.

The collection of land revenue rests with the Collector who has to see that the revenue dues are recovered punctually each year and with the minimum of coercion and that the collections are properly credited and accounted for in the branch of the wasul-baki-navis, both at the tahsil and district level.

The following are the statistics relating to the land revenue collections in each tahsil of Wardha district during the years 1961-62 and 1965-66.

LAND REVENUE COLLECTION IN EACH TAHSIL OF WARDHA DISTRICT DURING 1961-62 AND 1965-66.

Source: Socio-Economic Review of Wardha District, 1965-66.

The Collector is also responsible for the collection of fees and taxes under various other acts such as the Bombay Irrigation Act (VII of 1879), the Indian Stamp Act (II of 1899), the Indian Court Fees Act (VII of 1870), the Bombay Entertainment Duty Act (I of 1923) and the Bombay Prohibition Act (XXV of 1949). There are also other revenue Acts which contain a provision that dues under them are recoverable as arrears of land revenue. The Collector has to undertake recovery of such dues whenever necessary.

In regard to the administration of the Forest Act the ultimate responsibility for the administration of the Forest department in the district lies with the Collector and the Divisional Forest Officer is his assistant for the administration except in matters relating to the technique of forestry.

As regards the Prohibition Act, the Collector has to issue personal permits to liquor and drug addicts. In fact, he is the agency through which the Director of Prohibition and Excise arranges to have the policy of the department carried out. The administration of the Bombay Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act in its proper spirit rests with the Collector. He is also an appellate authority to hear appeals under various sections of these two Acts.

(ii) Inams.—All inams have been abolished under the Land Revenue Exemption Act, 1948, and donations or cash grants for charitable purposes granted to religious, charitable and public institutions and to the descendants of the Ruling Chiefs under the Central Provinces and Berar Revocation of Land Revenue Exemption Act, 1948, have been sanctioned.

(iii) Public Utility.—The, Agriculturists' Loans Act (XII of 1884) and the Land Improvement Loans Act (XIX of 1883) regulated the grant of loans to agriculturists at cheap rates for financing their agricultural operations. The Collector has to estimate the needs of his district in accordance with the policy of Government for the time being and in the event of a bad season, to make further demands for as much money as could be usefully loaned for the purpose of tiding over the need. He has to take necessary steps for the most advantageous distribution of the amount placed at his disposal and to see that the advances so made are recovered at the proper time. After the loans are advanced to the borrowers it is the duty of the Block Development Officers and the Tahsildars to see that the loans are not utilised for purposes other than for which the same were advanced.

(iv) Accounts.—The separation of the treasury and revenue cadres at the district level has come into force with effect from April 1,1955. Before the separation of the treasury work from the Revenue department, the Treasury Officer was from Revenue department and he had to perform various important executive functions in that connection. After the separation, the Treasury Officer became a member of the cadre of Maharashtra State Accounts Service and functions independently. The treasuries are under the administrative control of the Finance department. At the district headquarters the cash business has been taken over by the State Bank of India and its branches at the tahsil headquarters of Hingan-ghat and Arvi. Proposals are afoot to open a branch of the State Bank of India at Pulgaon in Wardha tahsil. There are no non-banking treasuries in this district. Wardha has a Treasury Officer while Arvi and Hinganghat have a Sub-Treasury Officer each and hence they are banking sub-treasuries. The accounts are submitted to the Accountant General and the instructions laid down in the Account Codes and Compilation of Treasury Rules are followed by the District Treasury. Before the separation of treasuries from Revenue department, the Collector and the Accountant General carried out periodical inspection of treasuries. As a measure of administrative control the Collector inspects the District Treasury once in a year before the close of the financial year and the Deputy Collectors inspect the sub-treasuries in a similar way. The Collector does not, however, participate in the daily routine of treasury business. For that work the Treasury Officer is his delegate and representative.

Quasi-judicial functions in revenue matters.—Among these functions of the Collector on the revenue side apart from hearing appeals from the decisions of the Sub-Divisional Officers under Maharashtra Land Revenue Code and various other Acts may be mentioned: (i) the revisional power exercised under Section 23 of the Bombay Mamlatdar's Courts Act (II of 1906) in respect of Tahsildar's orders under the Act (this power is delegated to the Deputy Collectors); (ii) appellate powers under Sections 53 and 57 of the Bombay Irrigation Act (VII of 1879); (iii) the work which the Collector does in connection with the execution of Civil Court decrees; and (iv) proceedings and awards under Section 11 of the Land Acquisition Act (I of 1894).

Local Self Government.—With the passing of the Bombay Village Panchayats Act, vital changes were effected in the village panchayat administration. It is now looked after by village panchayats constituted for the villages. The Collector is empowered to hold elections and bye-elections to the municipalities and the village panchayats. The various acts governing local bodies have conferred upon the Collector as the Chief representative of Governmental authority to supervise the actions of the local bodies and to give them advice. Since the passing of the Maharashtra Municipalities Act, 1965, the control over the municipalities is exercised by the Director of Municipal Administration, Maharashtra State,Bombay and the Collector.

Officers of other Departments.—The officers of other departments stationed at the district headquarters can be divided into two groups (i) officers at the Divisional level and (ii) officers at the District Level.

Officers at the Divisional level : There are only two Divisional level officers stationed in Wardha district viz., Divisional Forest Officer and Divisional Soil Conservation Officer.

Officers at the District Level : (1) District and Sessions Judge, (2) District Superintendent of Police, (3) District Commandant, Home Guards, (4) Superintendent, Wardha Sub-Jail, (5) District Statistical Officer, (6) Civil Surgeon, (7) District Deputy Registrar, Co-operative Societies, (8) District Industries Officer, (9) Superintendent of Prohibition and Excise, (10) District Employment Officer, (11) District Inspector of Land Records and (12) District Publicity Officer.

Their services in their particular spheres can be requisitioned by the Collector either directly or through their official superiors. These officers of the district have more or less intimate contacts with the Collector in matters relating to their departments and have to carry out his general instructions.

Magisterial.—The Collector's duties as District Magistrate are mostly executive. He is at the head of all other Executive Magistrates in the district. He excercises the powers under the Criminal Procedure Code and the Indian Penal Code.

When authorised by the State Government the District Magistrate may invest any Magistrate subordinate to him with the necessary powers. Besides being in control of the police in the district the District Magistrate has extensive powers under the Criminal Procedure Code and the Bombay Police Act (XXII of 1951) and other enactments for the maintenance of law and order. It is his duty to examine the records of police stations in order to gain insight into the state of crime within the limits of the police stations and satisfy himself that cases are being promptly disposed of.

In his executive capacity, the District Magistrate is concerned with the issue of licences and permits under the Arms Act (II of 1878), the Petroleum Act (VIII of 1899), the Explosives Act (IV of 1884) and the Poisons Act (1 of 1904). He has also to supervise the general administration of these Acts and functions laid down thereunder.

Sanitation and Public Health.—The duties of the Collector in the matter of sanitation are (a) to see that ordinary and special sanitary measures are initiated in cases of out breaks of epidemic diseases, (b) to watch and stimulate the efficiency of the daily and other sanitary administration of municipal committees and other sanitary authorities, and (c) to advise and encourage local bodies to improve the permanent sanitary condition of the areas under them so far as the funds at their disposal will allow. He can freely requisition the advice and technical assistance of the District Health Office if he so requires.

District Soldier's, Sailor's and Airmen's Board.—The Collector in his capacity as the President of the District Soldier's, Sailor's, and Airmen's Board exercises overall control over the Board with the assistance of the necessary staff. He maintains liaison between the ex-servicemen and their dependents. No separate paid Secretary has been provided for in the district. However, the Collector who is the ex-officio President acts on the instructions that he may receive from the Government from time to time.

Control of essential commodities.—There are in all 610 fair price shops in this district for the sale of essential commodities.

Collector's office.

The Collector's office at Wardha is divided into sections or branches each in charge of a First Grade Clerk. These branches are under the Leave Reserve Deputy Collector and the Resident Deputy Collector at headquarters.

The branches are: (1) Local Funds; (2) Tagai; (3) Reconciliation; (4) Village Panchayat; (5) Forms and Stationery; (6) Land Records; (7) Statistical Writer; (8) Revenue Accountant; (9) Nazul Clerk; (10)Gene-ral Clerk; (11) Revenue Moharir; (12) Reader to Collector; (13) Accounts section; (14) Records, Revenue and Judicial; (15) Nazarat; (16) Citizen's Defence; (17) Food and Civil Supplies (under the District Supply Officer); (18) Small Savings (under the Assistant Director of Small Savings); (19) Liection (under Election Officer) and (20) Tenancy and Ceiling.

Sub-Divisional Officers.

Under the Collector are Sub-Divisional Officers who are either Assistant Collectors (I.A.S. Officers) or District Deputy Collectors (Members of the Maharashtra Civil Service). There are in all three sub-divisions in this district which are in charge of Sub-Divisional Officers. The Sub-Divisional Officer forms the connecting link between the Tahsildars and the Collector. A Sub-Divisional Officer exercises all the powers conferred on the Collector by the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code and any other law in force or by executive orders in regard to the tahsils in his charge, except such powers as the Collector may specially reserve to himself.

Deputy Collectors.

There are five Deputy Collectors at the district headquarters for the purposes of administration.  Their designations are as follows.—

1. Resident Deputy Collector and Additional District Magistrate.

2. District Supply Officer.

3. Leave Reserve Deputy Collector/Rent Controller/Nazul Officer, Wardha.

4. Special Deputy Collector (Land Reforms) Tenancy and Ceiling.

5. District Election Officer.

Besides the above there are the following officers of Tahsildar's rank:

1. Special Land Acquisition Officer (General).

2. Special Land Acquisition Officer (Bor Project).

3. Assistant Director of Small Savings.

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