Special provision in respect of lands already held by co-operative societies.

(1) If on the notified date, any society registered under the Co-operative Societies Act (including a society specified in Schedule II) holds on lease any land held by any public trust and any member of such society cultivates such land, which together with the other land already held by him, exceeds in the aggregate the cultivating tenant‘s ceiling area, the society shall within such period as may be prescribed distribute the land in such excess to any other member: Provided that the extent of land so distributed together with the other land already held by such other member shall not exceed in the aggregate the cultivating tenant‘s ceiling area. (2) The extent of the land which could not be distributed in accordance with the provisions of sub-section (1) shall revert to the public trust on the expiry of the period prescribed under that sub-section. (3) The public trust shall within the prescribed period lease out the lands reverted under sub-section (2) to – (i) a co-operative farming society; or (ii) any person who is already a cultivating tenant; or (ii) any person who not being already a cultivating tenant executes an agreement with the public trust that he will contribute his own physical labout or that of any member of his family in the cultivation of the land so leased out to him: Provided that the extent of land so leased out to any person other than a co-operative farming society, together with the other land, if any, already held by such person, shall not exceed in the aggregate the cultivating tenant‘s ceiling area.