(1) This Act may be called the Puducherry Settlement Act, 1970.
(2) It extends to the whole of the Union territory of Puducherry.
(3) It shall come into force on such 1date as the Government may, by notification, appoint and different dates may be appointed for different areas.
Definitions
2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires:-
(a) “assessment” means the land revenue assessment fixed under the settlement made in accordance with the provisions of this Act;
(b) “Collector” means the chief officer in charge of the revenue administration of the Union territory of Puducherry, and includes in relation to any function to be performed by the Collector under this Act, such other officer not below the rank of a gazetted officer as the Government may, by notification, appoint for the purpose;
(c) “Commune” means a commune constituted under French Decree dated 12th March, 1880;
(d) “Director” means the Director of Settlement appointed under subsection (1) of section 3;
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1. The Act came into force on the 11th day of January 1971, vide Notification —I in Gazette No.1 dated 5-1-1971.
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(e) “fasli” means the year commencing with 1st July in any year and ending with the 30th June of the year next following;
(f) “Government” means the Administrator appointed by the President under article 239 of the Constitution;
(g) “holding” means a portion of land held by a person either singly or jointly with one or more persons;
(h) “manyam land” means land registered as manyam land in the revenue accounts in favour of any religious, charitable or educational institution or in the name of any individual for rendering any specific service to any particular community or villagers in common and for which land tax or land revenue, as the case may be is levied under the law in force;
(i) “notification” means a notification issued by the Government or any officer authorised by it in this behalf and published in the Official Gazette;
(j) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules framed under this Act;
(k) “registered holder” means a registered holder as defined under the Puducherry Survey and Boundaries Act, 1967 (Act No. 8 of 1967);
*[(kk) “Secretary” means the Secretary to the Government of Puducherry incharge of the Department of Revenue and Disaster Management].
(1) “settlement” means the result of the operations conducted in a zone in order to determine the land assessment;
(m) “Settlement Officer” means an officer appointed by the Government under sub-section (2) of section 3 and includes an officer empowered under the Act to perform the functions of a Settlement Officer;
(n) “Union territory” means the Union territory of Puducherry; and
(o) “zone” means a local area comprising one or more Communes or portions thereof which in the opinion of the Settlement Officer are contiguous and homogeneous in respect of soil characteristics, physical configuration, yield of principal crops, rainfall and other irrigation facilities.
________________________________________________________________________ * Inserted vide Act No.5 of 2006 section 2, w.e.f 30.10.2006.
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CHAPTER II OFFICERS, THEIR POWERS, DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS Director and Settlement Officers