Definitions

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, - (a) "agricultural officer" means the agricultural officer of the Department of Agriculture designated by the Government for the purposes of this Act; (b) "Committee" means the Local Level Monitoring Committee constituted under section 4; (c) "conversion" means the situation whereby land that has been under paddy farming and its allied constructions like drainage channels, ponds, canals, bunds and ridges are put to use for any other purpose; (d) "Deputy Commissioner" means the Deputy Commissioner of the district concerned and includes any other officer authorised by the Government to perform the functions of the Deputy Commissioner; (e) "district" means a revenue district; (f) "District Agricultural Officer" means the District Agricultural Officer of the District designated by the State for the purpose of this Act; (g) "District Level Committee" means the District Level Committee to be constituted under section 7; (h) "drainage channel" means the inlets or outlets for the flow of water to or from a paddy land; (i) "Government" means the Government of Manipur; (j) "holder of paddy land" means a person holding any paddy land whether as owner or under a legal right; (k) "local bodies" means a Panchayat as defined in the Manipur Panchayati Raj Act, 1994 (Act No. 26 of 1994) or a Municipality as defined in the Manipur Municipalities Act, 1994 (Act No. 43 of 1994); (l) "paddy land" means all types of land in the State where paddy is cultivated at least once in a year or suitable for paddy cultivation but uncultivated and left fallow, and includes its allied constructions like drainage channels, ponds, canals, bunds, ridges: (m) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act; (n) "public purpose" means public purpose specified by the Government by notification in the Official Gazette; (o) "reclamation" means such act or series of acts whereby paddy land is converted irreversibly and in such a manner that it cannot be reverted back to the original condition by ordinary means; (p) "State" means the State of Manipur; (q) "State Level Committee" means the State Level Committee constituted under section 8; (r) "Sub-Divisional Officer" means the Sub-Divisional Officer of the sub-division concerned of the district; (s) "year" means the Gregorian Calendar year; (t) "wetland" means land lying between terrestrial and aquatic system where the water table is usually at or near the surface or which is covered by shallow water or characterized by the presence of sluggishly moving or standing after saturating the soil with water and includes fresh water lakes, marshes and swamp forest.