Land Identification and Measurement Systems Followed in the State of West Bengal

 1) Pertaining to Identification of Land :

 a) Porcha and Dager Tothya (Plot Information) – 

Survey of lands are done for obtaining the specific location, measurement, demarcation and ascertaining the state of ownership/possession of a land chiefly for the purpose of collecting Government revenue. Sultan Sher Shah introduced the initial system in regions under his control for the collection of revenue but the same was not perfect. The first effective step towards accurate assessment relying on elaborate survey of land and one uniform standard of measurement was taken by Todar Mall, Finance Minister to the Emperor Akbar. 

Todar Mall’s system of survey was in proper operation until 1765 when the English East India Company assumed control over the revenues of Bengal (then united). The same system would continue to be followed by the people until 1769 when the Company appointed supervisors to Bengali Babus who were handling the revenue department and subsequently the supervisors were made into revenue collectors in Districts. During this entire period, further surveying of land was stopped.

 First step at forming rules for revenue collection was done through Pitt’s India Act passed by the British Parliament while Warren Hastings was the Governor General of India. Further surveying of land in unventured regions was started again. After Lord Cornwallis came to India, he found it fit and therefore legalized the Zamindari system through Permanent Settlement Regulation (Regulation 1) of 1793. By this time about 85% of undivided Bangladesh was surveyed and settled. 

By Bengal Tenancy Act, 1885, the owners/possessors of land including Tenants and Raiyats under Zamindars were classified and their possession in the land was recognized. Under the same Act, Mouza wise Record of Rights (Porcha), Mouza wise maps and regular rent structure were prepared. In the early 19th Century, the British Raj conducted further surveys through various methods, often concurrently, in the lands already surveyed and also in lands yet to be surveyed in their strive to get a better and clear understanding. The surveys were –

• Thakbast Survey (1845-1877)

• Revenue Survey (1846 -1878)

• Khasra Operations (1841-1853)

• Diara Surveys (1862-1883)

• Cadastral Surveys

In the post-independence era, the following Acts gradually built up the structure of land recognition and revenue collection as are known today in West Bengal –

 

• West Bengal Estate Acquisition Act, 1953

• West Bengal Land Reforms Act, 1955

• West Bengal Acquisition of Homestead Land Act for Agricultural Laborers, Fishermen and Artisans, 1975

Among the British era surveys, Cadastral Surveys (CS) Records had proved to be more accurate and had stood the test of time well through the independence and postindependence era, so much so that most of the Cadastral Survey records survived and were adopted into the Revenue Settlement (RS) Records system.

The said Revenue Settlement Records have been based on while incorporating the currently prevailing Land Reforms (LR) Records in the revenue assessment system of West Bengal.

The Land and Land Reforms Department, now known as Land and Land Reforms and Refugee Rehabilitation Department of West Bengal currently has records of CS, RS and LR data.

Each District of West Bengal is divided into several Blocks and these Blocks are further divided into several Mouzas (meaning villages or regions). A specific plot of land in a certain Mouza is identified through the Dag no. allotted to it and the owner/occupier thereof who pays or causes to pay the Government revenue for the said plot of land or any part thereof is allotted a Khatian no. Records of both the Dag no. and Khatian no. are maintained by the Block Land and Land Reforms Officer (BL&LRO) of the respective Block. 

The said records of BL&LRO are available publicly by applying for and obtaining Porcha (which contains the information of Khatian no., name of the occupier, the Dag nos. wherein the owner/occupier has share in in a Mouza, the quantum of the share of the owner/occupier in that/those Dag no. and the classification of land contained in the Dag no.) and Dager Tothya (which contains information of the Dag no., the classification of land contained in the Dag no., the Khatian nos. present therein, the names of owners/occupiers who have share in that Dag no. and the respective quantum of share of the said owners/ occupiers).

BL&LROs also issue Mouza Maps whereby any Dag no. present in a Mouza can be located.

BL&LROs receive Government Revenue and issue Government Revenue Payment Receipt or Khaja Dakhila corresponding to specific Khatian no.

b) Property Tax Bill and Receipt -

Local Bodies like Municipal Corporations/Municipalities/Gram Panchayets levy taxes on the properties lying within its ambit and issue Tax Payment Bills and Tax Payment Receipts. The local bodies identify a land or building through allotting to it a Premises no. and every division therein is identified by a Holding no. allotted to it. The said Bills and Receipts contain both the Premises no. and the Holding no. Since in rural areas, properties are held as a whole and further divisions therein through erecting a building and selling separate Flats/Units thereof were not common practice, in many regions, only Holding no. is allotted and every division in a property is allotted a separate Holding no.

Tax Payment Bills and Tax Payment Receipts contain the Holding no. with or without the Premises no. through which a property can be identified.

Land and Land Reforms and Refugee Rehabilitation Department and the local bodies operate independent of each other and one does not have any record of the other.

2) Pertaining to Measurement of Land :

There are two systems of measurement followed in West Bengal –

The Katha of Cottah system where –

• 45 Square Feet = 1 Chittack

• 16 Chittacks = 1 Cottah or Katha

• 20 Katha = 1 Bigha

The Decimal or Satak System where -

• 435.6 Square Feet = 1 Decimal

• 100 Decimals = 1 Acre

The system of measurement of land adopted in all three records (CS, RS and LR) is the Decimal system.

A ready reckoner of conversion from the Katha system to the Decimal system of measurement is given herewith.