Orissa Prevention of Land Encroachment Rules 1983

Notification No. 59406-GE-(GL)-E-31/85-R. E., dated 9th October, 1985-Whereas the draft of the Orissa Prevention of Land Encroachment Rules, 1983 was published as required by Sub-section (1) of Section 10 of the Orissa Prevention of Land Encroachment Act, 1972 (Orissa Act 6 of 1972), in the Extraordinary issue No. 1590 of the Orissa Gazette, dated the 2nd December, 1983 as SRO No. 515/83 under the Notification of the Government of Orissa in the Revenue Department No. 54986-GE-(GL)-R-2-83 R., dated the 24th August, 1983 inviting objections and suggestions from all persons likely to be affected thereby till the expiry of a period of thirty days from the date of publication of the said Notification in the Official Gazette;

3. Detection of encroachments and initiation of proceeding –
(1) The Revenue Inspector shall report the cases of unauthorized occupation of land to the Tahasildar and the details of such occupation shall be reduced to writing in Form ‘G’. Within fifteen days of the close of each financial year the Revenue Inspector shall send a certificate to the Tahasildar that except the encroachment already reported there is no further encroachment in his area :

Provided that nothing herein shall prohibit the Tahasildar to start a proceeding on his own motion or on an information received from any other source.

4. Assessment under Section 4-
When land unauthorisedly occupied by any person is required to be assessed to rent under the provisions of Clause (ii) of Section 4 and if no such prevailing rate exists as referred to in the said clause, it shall be assessed as nearly, as possible in accordance with the provisions of Section 4 of Orissa Survey and Settlement Act, 1958 (Orissa Act 3 of 1959) for fixation of fair and equitable rent.

5. Conditions for reduction or remission of the amount of assessment, penalty or fine-
Passing an order of remission or reduction of the amount payable by way of assessment or penalty, under Section 6-A, or of fine under Sub-section (3) of Section 7, by the Collector shall be subject to the following conditions, namely:

(i) the Tahasildar shall enquiry in detail regarding the movable and immovable properties of the encroacher and submit details thereof to the Sub-Divisional Officer along with the case records. If the encroacher is a landless person no penalty shall be levied on him. If the extent of land owned by any landless person does not exceed 0.25 standard acre, the Collector may either reduce or remit the amount of assessment payable under Section 4, or fine under Sub-section (3) of Section 7 to such an extent as he considers necessary:
Provided that in other cases if the encroacher is a member of the Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe, the Collector may in suitable cases reduce or remit the penalty or fine such extent as he considers necessary;

(iv) if the encroacher has re-encroached after eviction, no such reduction or remission shall be allowed.

6. Forms and manner of service of notice/order under Sections 4, 6, 7 and 8-

(1) Notice shall be issued in Form ‘A’ before taking any action under Sections 4 and 6 and in From ‘B’ before taking any action under the proviso to Sub-section (1) of Section 7. They shall be served in the same manner as revenue processes are served and a copy shall be delivered to the occupier of the land or to any adult male member or his family at his usual place of residence or to his authorised agent or by affixing a copy thereof to some conspicuous part of his last known residence and of the land in unauthorised occupation, in the presence of two persons when the notice could not be served on the encroacher, his agent or any adult member of his family.

(2) An order under Section 8 shall be in Form ‘C’ and shall be served in the same manner as laid down in Sub-rule (1) and shall also be proclaimed by beat of drum in the locality in which the land is situated in the presence of not less than two persons. If the village is uninhabited, the notice shall be published in the aforesaid manner in the nearest inhabited village. A copy of the order shall be published by affixing it in the notice board of the Tahasil office and another copy sent to the Grama Panchayat, Notified Area Council, Municipality, Special Planning Authority or Development Authority, as the case may be, under which the land situates.

7. Objections as to liability for proceedings under the Act and the manner of their disposal –

lf on receipt of notice in Form ‘A’ any person pleads that he is not liable for being proceeded under the Act, the officer conducting the proceeding shall make a summary enquiry and determine the liability of the person for the whole or any part of the land unauthorisedly occupied for which notice was issued to him and may confirm, modify or drop the proceedings, as may be necessary:

Provided that he shall not modify or drop any proceeding in case where he is required to refer the case to the Sub-divisional Officer under the second proviso to Sub-section (2) of Section 7 or Section 8- A.

8. When eviction to be effected –

No eviction shall be effected after sunset and before sunrise. The officer to be deputed under Sub-section (5) of Section 7 to effect eviction shall not be a person below the rank of a Revenue Inspector.

9. Warrant for the arrest –

A warrant for the arrest of a person under Sub-section (6) of Section 7 or Section 8 shall be issued by the Tahasildar in Form ‘D’.

11. Order of forfeiture and its execution-

(1) When an order of forfeiture is passed by the Tahasildar under Sub-section (1) of Section 7, he shall –
(a) if the property is movable, make arrangement for taking immediate possession thereof ; or
(b) if the property is immovable, issue an order of attachment; or
(c) if the property is perishab1e in nature order immediate sale thereof and order the sale proceeds to be credited into the treasury.
(2) The order of attachment shall be served on the encroacher in the same manner as the notice under Sub-rule (1) of Rule 6 and copies of the order shall be affixed at a conspicuous place in the village or ward of the urban area, as the case may be, and on the land which is the subject-matter of the proceeding.

12. Third party claims to properties seized or attached –

If any person other than the encroacher puts forward claims to the property within one month from the date of its seizure or attachment, the Tahasildar shall make a summary enquiry and may confirm, modify or cancel his order, if necessary.

13. Final disposal of property forfeited-

When an order of forfeiture is confirmed after making enquiry under Rule 12, the Tahasildar shall sell the property in public auction and credit the sale proceeds into the treasury:
Provided that no order for final disposal of the property or its sale proceeds shall be passed until the period of appeal or revision as provided under Section 12 expires or if an appeal or revision is preferred within the said period until the appeal or revision is disposed of.

14. Declaration of land likely to be required for any development scheme under Section 7 –

(1) Whenever it appears to the State Government that any land is likely to be required for any development scheme they may publish a notification in the Official Gazette declaring the area as required for such purpose.

(3) On issue of such a notification, the Tahasildar shall record the lands mentioned in the said notification in a register prescribed in Form ‘I’ and also in the remarks column of the copy of the record-of- rights of the concerned village against the plot so required.

15. Manner of settlement of encroached land under Section 7-

(1) Before the Tahasildar proceeds with the settlement of unauthorisedly occupied land under Sub-section (2) of Section 7 for agricultural or for home-stead purposes, he shall publish a proclamation in Form ‘J’ inviting objections, if any, fixing a date for hearing of objections.

(8) In all cases where settlement is granted, the Sub-divisional Officer shall direct the encroacher to pay the market value so determined by a date not later than ninety days from the date of order in one or more installments to be fixed by him. If the market value is not paid within the period fixed by the Sub-divisional Officer he shall send back the case record to the record to the Tahasildar for effecting eviction of the encroachment. After the market value is paid an intimation slip in Form ‘F’ shall be issued by the Tahasildar in the name of the person with whom the land is settled and ensure demarcation of land and correction of the record-of-rights in his office and in the office of Revenue Inspector as well. The land ordered for settlement under Sub-rules (4) and (7) shall be recorded in such status as are applicable to the tenure of similar land in the vicinity for similar purposes under the same terms and conditions which are applicable to such tenures.
If use of the land is non-agricultural and it is to be recorded under pattadari or similar other status, the encroacher shall be required to execute an agreement containing such terms and conditions as are fixed by the Government for similar lands in the locality to which the land belongs.

16. Manner of settlement of land encroached for more than thirty years-

For settlement of land under Section 8-A the onus of proof that the encroacher has been in actual, continuous and undisputed occupation of the land for more than thirty years by the date of institution of the proceeding shall be on the encroacher. If the Sub- divisional Officer orders settlement of the land under Sub-section (3) of Section 8-A, he shall fix rent of the land in the manner prescribed under Rule 4 and shall direct the person to pay rent for the entire period of occupation subject to the provisions of limitation prescribed under the Orissa limitation (Recovery of Revenue) Act, 1964 (Orissa Act 14 of 1964). In case no payment is made within the time fixed by the Sub- divisional Officer, the order of settlement shall not be effected.

17. Powers of Board of Revenue to regulate the administrative procedure –

The Board of Revenue may issue such further instructions which are not inconsistent with the provisions of the Act and these rules as it may consider necessary for-
(a) effective implementation of the Act and these rules;
(b) maintenance of all registers and returns essential to carry out
the purposes of the Act, their preservation and final disposal;and
(c) the budget heads to which the receipts and charges under
the Act shall be credited and debited.

18. Repeal and savings –

The Orissa Prevention of Land Encroachment Rules, 1977 is hereby repealed:
Provided that anything done or any action taken under the rules so repealed shall be deemed to have been done or taken under the provisions of these rules, and those pending on the date of commencement of rules, shall be done or taken under the provisions of these rules.

To
Shri ………………………. s/o ………………………..
Address:
Whereas it appears that you are in unauthorised occupation of land as specified in the Schedule below which is the property of Government, you are hereby given notice to appear before the undersigned personally or through authorised agent on …………………at …………………..and show cause why you should not be proceeded against under Sections 4 and 6 of the Orissa Prevention of Land Encroachment Act, 1972 (Orissa Act 6 of 1972).

To
Shri… ……………………son of…………………..
Address:
Whereas after due enquiry the undersigned is satisfied that you are in unauthorised occupation of the land specified in the Schedule below, which is the property of Government, you are hereby given notice to remove the encroachment within thirty days from the date of receipt of this notice failing which you will be summarily evicted from the land and any crop or other product raised on the land or any encroachment such as a building erected or a thing deposited thereon shall be liable to forfeiture.

Prohibitory order against construction or continuance of any building or
structure on any unauthorisedly occupied land

Whereas the undersigned has reason to believe that you are unauthorisedly constructing/about to construct a building or other structure on the land which is the property of Government as defined under Section 2 of the O. P. L. E. Act, 1972, it is hereby ordered that you be and you are hereby prohibited from continuing the said construc- tion/ structure further:

Whereas Shri ……………………………s/o of …………………….village/police-station ………………….has resisted/obstructed the officer deputed to remove him from unauthorized occupation of Government land in plot………………….. of holding No……………………… has failed to comply with my order prohibiting him from
constructing the buildings/structure on the said land and it is necessary to send him for imprisonment in the Civil Jail under Sections 7 (6) and 8 of the O. P. L. E. Act, 1972 you are hereby directed to arrest the said ………………and produce him before me.
Datedthis ………………day of 20…………… (Strike out which is not applicable)
Seal:
Signature of Tahasildar

In the Court of Shri………………………… Magistrate ……………………….
I, Shri ……………………….aged ………………years, son/daughter/wife of …………..resident of Ward No……………………….. Municipality/Notified Area,
P. O …………………P.S……………………… in the district of………………………… at present…………………………… by profession……………….. do hereby…………….., solemnly affirm as follows:
1. That I or any of my family members living with me in common mess do not own or possess any residential house/building or housesite anywhere in the State of Orissa.
2. That the land measuring acres pertaining to Plot No ……………………Khata No ……………in the Municipality/Notified Area/Urban Area now under my unauthorised occupation is adjacent to my holding.
3. That the encroached land shown under item 2 above is necessary for beneficial enjoyment of my holding/for my residential, purpose.
4. That I have not been considered for any home-stead/plot in .any Municipality/Notified Area/Urban Area.
5. That I solemnly swear and affirm that the above statement are true to my knowledge and belief and I also swear that I have not concealed anything regarding existing house or house site owned either by me or by any of my family members. I swear the affidavit this the day of…………..
Identified by me Signature of the Deponent Advocate

Shri……………………………….. aged…………………… years, son/daughter/wife
of…………………. resident of village/town/Municipality/Notified Area/Urban
Area…………………. P. O. ………../P.S ………….., in the district of…………… at present by profession ………………..who is identified by Shri ……………Advocate, appears before me and states on oath that contents of this affidavit are true to the best of his knowledge and belief.
(Strike out which is unnecessary)

Office of the Tahasildar……………………..
District……………………………………………
Case No of………………………………….
Name of the village/Municipality/Notified Area/Urban Area……………………….. (If Municipality or Notified Area mention Ward No.)
Thana No. of the village………………………………………………
Name of the person in whose lavour land is ordered for settlement ……………..
Father’s name …………………………………
Caste Address…………………………………..
Holding No……………………………………….
Plot No………………………………………………..
Khata No ……………………………………………
Area leased out………………………………………
Classification of the land…………………………….
Amount of assessment/penalty/fine………………
Purpose of settlement of land …………………….
Status Remarks…………………………………………
Certified that the above particulars have been incorporated In the relevant record-of-rights.
Tahasildar
Certified that the above particulars have been incorporated in the
circle records.

Revenue Inspector

Statement of unauthorised occupation of Government land in
village of ……..in the circle…………………..Tahasil……………….Subdivision………………………District… ………………during the month………….. of 19 ……………
1. Serial No ……………………….
2. Name, father’s name and address of the person in unauthorised
occupation
3. Whether the person belongs to Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe
4. Description of the land unauthorisedly occupied-
(a) Village, Thana and Tahasil
(b) Holding No
(c) Plot No
(d) Full extent of the plot
(e) Extent occupied with boundary
5. Class of lands encroached, i. e., whether-
Gochar, Canal, Embankment, Rakhit, Sarbasadharana, set apart for common use of villagers used for house site, temple site, likely to be required for any development scheme, belongs to an establishment of Government/company/corporation
6. Whether the land is In Rural Area/Municipality/Notified Area/ Urban area
7. If the land is in Municipality or Notified area whether
(i) the person or any member of his family living with him in common mess owns a house or house site in that Municipality or Notified Area,
(ii) the land, being adjacent to the holding owned by the person, is necessary for the beneficial enjoyment of such holding or for the residential purpose of the person, or
(iii) the land Is reserved for the purposes of any Government or
for any development purpose.
8. Whether the person is landless and, if not-
(a) the total extent of land owned by him (excluding his home stead),
(b) extent of lands owned by all the members of his family who
are living with him in common mess, and
(c) extent of home-stead land owned by him.
9. Income of the encroacher and other members of the family living jointly with him in one mess from sources other than agriculture..-
10. Mode of occupation by-
(i) cultivation
(ii) erection of house
(iii) any other manner
11. Date of inspection of the Revenue Inspector
12. Whether encroachment was blocked previously, if so, the case No
13. Rate of assessment (Taram assessment of the village)
14. If not assessed, rate of assessment of lands of similar description
and advantage in the vicinity
15. Assessment of the extent occupied
16. Remarks of the Revenue Inspector

Signature in full of the Reporting Officer
(Revenue Inspector)

1. Serial No
2. Date..
3. Name of village .
4. Name of the Encroacher, Caste, his father’s name and address
5. Khata No
6. Classification and status
7. Plot No
8. Area encroached
9. Mode of encroachment
10. Date of receipt of report from Revenue Inspector
11. Assessment
12. Penalty
13. Fine ,
14. Market value
15. Date of disposal and by whom disposed of
16. Purport of the order
17. Date of settlement, if any, and purpose ;
18. Date of vacation/eviction
19. Remarks of the Tahasi1dar which may include-
(a) The amount of sale proceeds of crop or other materials forfeited, if any
(b) Report of Revenue Inspector incorporating the amount in the village demand
(c) If appeal filed, the date of appeal and the decision of appellate Court