Land Tax Rates in Batten Settlement

 British Administration in Garhwal   -32       

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History of British Rule/Administration over Kumaun and Garhwal (1815-1947) -49

            History of Uttarakhand (Garhwal, Kumaon and Haridwar) -886

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                              By: Bhishma Kukreti (History Student)

        There were differences among tax of different villages.  In batten settlement the officials determined tax after analyzing soil fertility, losses by wild animals and birds, distance from bazaar, numbers of owners, owner’s economical conditions and other factors.  By studying ‘Fard Fant’ , it is clear that the annual tax was eight Ana on irrigated land of one beesi (Dabral, page 188, from Vishnu Singh Gorla Rawat Collections) .  

  The series in fard Fant was name of land owner, land measurement in ‘beesee’, and tax.

  In Trail time, the Malgujar used to prepare the Fard fant and did not submit in office. In Batten settlement, the records were kept in government offices. The officials and effected person could see the records.

The example of the Fard Fant of a village or villages for a Malgujar was as under (Vishnu Singh collection) –

      फर्द फांट असामीवार मौजा कोटा की पिंजोली बगैरह पट्टी गुजडू

-------------------------------तफसील --------------------------------

नाम असामी ---जमा बीसी -----के फांट रु ०

गोविंदू-------------२ III----------------१ I=

ललू----------------५ -------------------२ II

अबरसी-------------२-------------------१

सवी --------------- ४ ----------------२

मानसि ------------४ ------------------२

जात्रू---------------- १III----------------III=

पिरोजू -------------३II------------------१ III

सोबनू भूलाणी --- २ III---------------- १ I=

कल्या --------------८ I-----------------४

सोवनू खडोरी-------२ -------------------१

योग ----------------३६ -----------------१७ III=

नाम मौजा -------अवाद ---------वेरान---------हक --------नाम पधान

कोटा की पिंजोली---२९ -------------५ ---------२ ------------हिमतू सोवनू गोला

  तारीख १७ ,आह अगस्त सन १८३२ इस्वी

( विष्णु सिंह गोरला रावत संग्रह , फर्द फांट हिसेदार भवन डांडालगा पट्टी सल्ड )

  In Batten settlement, there was demarcation and records for different types of ownerships –Hissedar (owner), Sirtan and Khaikar and tax rates were recorded. Khaykar and Sirtan used to offer ‘Dastur’ to Hissedar (owner) and Hissedar used to offer ‘dastur’ to Padhan and Thokdar /malgujar. There was now system of recording ‘dastur’

A’ fard fant’ shows ‘dastur’ record as follows

 बेटी वीहाय का (daughter marriage) – २ रु ०

बक्रा मारे  का ------- रान १

घीय संक्रान्ति का वल्ग असामी  १ पिछे घी या तिल सेर देते हैं (I) के १ औणी जाणी अल्मोड़ा वगैरह कर्ते हैं फक्त (I)

 From the last line, it is clear that Padhan or Hissedar used to visit Almora h e used to take person from ‘Khaykar’ or Sirtan’ with him on series basis. The above system was alive from old age. Batten made it official.  Hak dastur became an official tax and court used to take such issues in court too. If a Sirtan or Khaykar used to pay ‘Dastur’ in time, Malgujar could not disown his land.  By the news system, the rights of land owners became secured and there was strong contact between the government and the land owners. In a way, Thokdar or Padhan became only paper tigers.

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Copyright@ Bhishma Kukreti Mumbai, India, bckukreti@gmail.com 30/8/2016

History of Garhwal – Kumaon-Haridwar (Uttarakhand, India) to be continued… Part -887

*** History of British Rule/Administration over British Garhwal  (Pauri, Rudraprayag, and Chamoli1815-1947) to be continued in next chapter

(The History of Garhwal, Kumaon, Haridwar write up is aimed for general readers)

XX   

References  

 1-Shiv Prasad Dabral ‘Charan’, Uttarakhand ka Itihas, Part -7 Garhwal par British -Shasan, part -1, page188-189

Xx

History of British Rule, Administration , Policies, Revenue system,  over Garhwal, Kumaon, Uttarakhand ; History of British Rule , Administration , Policies Revenue system  over Pauri Garhwal, Udham Singh Nagar Kumaon, Uttarakhand; History of British Rule, Administration, Policies ,Revenue system  over Chamoli Garhwal, Nainital Kumaon, Uttarakhand; History of British Rule, Administration, Policies ,Revenue system  over Rudraprayag Garhwal, Almora Kumaon, Uttarakhand; History of British Rule, Administration, Policies ,Revenue system  over Dehradun , Champawat Kumaon, Uttarakhand ; History of British Rule, Administration, Policies, ,Revenue system  over Bageshwar  Kumaon, Uttarakhand ;

History of British Rule, Administration, Policies, Revenue system over Haridwar, Pithoragarh Kumaon, Uttarakhand;