Section 57 of The Bengal Irrigation Act, 1876 — Canal-officer may fix rent for a village-channel transferred

Bare section text

Official Legislative Text

Instead of awarding payment of compensation under the last preceding section, the canal-officer may fix an amount of rent to be paid annually to the previous owners by the persons to whom the village-channel is transferred.

Educational Study Layer

Summary

The canal-officer may fix an annual rent instead of awarding a lump-sum compensation payment when a village-channel is transferred.
This annual rent is paid to the previous owners of the village-channel.
The person to whom the village-channel is transferred is the party responsible for paying this fixed annual rent.

Practical examples

1On November 10, 2026, the canal-officer decides to transfer a channel from Gita to Hari under Section 54. Gita is a small farmer who prefers a steady annual income rather than a single lump sum, and Hari cannot afford a large upfront payment. Under Section 57, the canal-officer orders Hari to pay Gita an annual rent of 120 rupees instead of the lump-sum compensation of 1,500 rupees that would have been due under Section 56.

2A village-channel is transferred from Ishwar to Jaswant. Jaswant agrees to the transfer, but asks for an annual payment plan. The canal-officer, instead of demanding a 2,000 rupees one-time payout under Section 56, applies Section 57 to fix an annual rent of 150 rupees to be paid by Jaswant to Ishwar every year.

FAQ

1. Can a canal-officer set up an annual payment instead of a one-time compensation under Section 57?

Yes, under Section 57 of the Act, the canal-officer may fix an annual rent to be paid to the previous owners instead of awarding a lump-sum compensation.

2. Who receives the annual rent fixed under Section 57 of the Act?

The previous owners of the transferred village-channel are the ones who receive the annual rent from the new owner under Section 57 of the Act.

Practice Quiz

Q1.Under Section 57 of this Act, what can the canal-officer fix as an alternative to the lump-sum compensation described in Section 56?

Q2.Under Section 57 of this Act, who is responsible for paying the annual rent of a transferred village-channel?

Q3.A village-channel is transferred from Lalit to Mohan. The canal-officer decides to apply Section 57 of this Act instead of Section 56. How often must Mohan pay the rent to Lalit?

Q4.Under Section 57 of this Act, who receives the annual rent when a village-channel is transferred?

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