Chapter 1 PRELIMINARY

(1) This Regulation may be called the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Land Revenue and Land Reforms Regulation, 1966. (2) It extends to the whole of the Union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands but nothing in this Regulation shall apply to such areas therein as may for time to time be constituted as Government forests. (3) It shall come into force on such date as the Chief Commissioner may, by notification, appoint.

In this Regulation, unless the context otherwise requires,- (1) “abadi” means the area reserved from time to time in a village in a non-urban area for the residence of the inhabitants thereof or for purposes ancillary thereto; (2) “agriculture” includes- (i) the raising of annual or periodical crops including betel leaves (pan) and garden produce, (ii) horticulture, (iii) raising of fodder or thatching grass, (iv) dairy farming, (v) poultry farming, (vi) stock breeding and grazing, and (vii) pisciculture; (3) “agricultural year” means the year commencing on the first day of May or such other date as the chief commissioner may by notification, appoint; (4) “cess” means whatever is payable in money by a person, Resident, or holding land in a village, to the Government for services rendered to the community; (5) “Chief commissioner” means the Chief Commissioner of the Union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands; (6) “commercial trees” means any of the trees specified in the Schedule; (7) “co-operative society” means a society registered or deemed to be registered as such under the Co-operative Societies Act, 1912. (8) “Government” means the Central Government; (9) “Government forest” means a forest constituted as a reserved forest or protected forest in accordance with the provisions of the Indian Forest Act, 1927; (10) “grant” means a grant made under clause (i) of section 146; (11)“holding” means a parcel of land separately assessed to land Revenue; (12) “improvement” in relation to a holding means any work which materially adds to the value of the holding and which is suitable thereto and consistent with the purpose for which it is held and includes- (i) the construction of tanks, wells, water channels, embankments and other works for the storage, supply or distribution of water for agricultural purposes, (ii) the construction of works for the drainage of land or for the protection of land from floods or from erosion or other damage by water, (iii) the planting of trees and the reclaiming, clearing, enclosing, leveling or terracing, of land used for agricultural purposes, (iv) the erection of buildings on or in the vicinity of the holding elsewhere than abadi or urban area, required for the convenient or profitable use or occupation of the holding, and (v) the renewal or construction of any of the foregoing works, or alterations therein or additions thereto, but does not include the construction of- (a) temporary wells and such water channels, embankments, leveling enclosures or other works or pretty alterations in or repairs to such works, as are commonly made by cultivators of the locality in the ordinary course of agriculture, or (b) any work which substantially diminishes the value of any land wherever situated, in the occupation of a tenant. Explanation- A work which benefits several holdings shall be deemed to be an improvement with respect to each of such holdings; (13) “land” means a portion of the earth’s surface whether or not under water and includes all things attached to, or permanently hastened to any thing attached to, such portion; (14) “land records” means the records maintained under this Regulation; (15) “land revenue” means any consideration in money payable by a tenant of the Government on account of the use or occupation of the land or an account of any right in land held by him; (16)“legal practitioner” means any person entitled to practise in any of the courts in the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands under any law for the time being in force; (17) *; (18)“notification” means a notification published in the Official Gazette: (19)“Official Gazette” means the Andaman and Nicobar Gazette; (20)“person under disability” means,- (i) a widow, (ii) a minor, (iii) a woman who is unmarried or who, if married, divorced or judicially separated from her husband or whose husband is a person falling under sub-clause (iv) of Sub-Clause (v), (iv) a member of the Armed Forces of the Union, or (v) a person incapable of the cultivation by reason of physical or mental disability: (21)“plot number” means of portion of land in an urban area formed into or recognized as, a plot number under section 68, in respect of which the area and the land revenue payable are separately entered in the prescribed records under an indicative number and includes any portion of land entered in any records before the commencement of this Regulation under an indicative number known as kharsa or survey number; (22)“prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Regulation; (23)“recognized agent” in relation to a party to a proceeding under this Regulation means,- (i) a person authorized under a power of attorney by that party to make appearance and applications and to do other acts, on his behalf in such proceeding; or (ii) a person authorized in writing by that party to make appearance on his behalf in such proceeding; (24) “rent” means whatever is lawfully payable, in money or in kind, or partly in money and partly in kind, whether as a fixed quantity of produce or as a share of the produce, on account of the use or occupation of land or on account of any right in land but shall not include land revenue; (25) “revenue officer” in any provision of this Regulation means such revenue officer as the Chief Commissioner may, by notification, direct to discharge the functions of a revenue officer under that provision; (26) “revenue year” means the year commencing on such date as the Chief Commissioner may, in the case of any specified area, by notification appoint; (27) “sub-tenant” means a person who cultivates or holds the land of a tenant under an agreement, express or implied, on condition of paying rent therefor; (28) “survey number” means a portion of land in any non-urban area formed into, or recognized as, survey number at the revenue survey immediately proceeding the commencement of this Regulation, or subsequently formed into or recognized as such by the Deputy Commissioner in respect of which the area and the land revenue payable are separately entered under an indicative number in the land records; and includes, any portion of land entered in the land records under an indicative number known as kharsa number; (29)“tenant” means the person by whom land revenue is or, but for a contract express or implied, would be payable but does not include a sub-tenant; (30)“urban area” means the area for the time being included within the limits of any municipality constituted under any law for the time being in force relating to municipalities or any village or group of villages which may be specified by the Chief Commissioner asan uaban area and the expression “non urban area” shall be constructed according; (31)“village” means any tract of land which immediately before the commencement of this Regulation was recognized as, or declared to be, a village under the provisions of any law for the time being in force or which may, after such commencement, be recognized as a village at any survey or which the Chief Commissioner may, by notification, declare to be a village.