Land Development Ordinance
| Land Development Ordinance | |
|---|---|
| State Council of Ceylon | |
| |
| Citation | Ordinance No. 19 of 1935 |
| Territorial extent | British Ceylon |
| Enacted by | State Council of Ceylon |
| Enacted | 1935 |
| Repeals | |
| Land Development (Amendment) Act, No. 11 of 2022 | |
| Status: In force | |
Land Development Ordinance No. 19 of 1935 (LDO) was a legislation in British Ceylon by the State Council of Ceylon, during the transition to limited self-rule under the Donoughmore Constitution, to regulate the allocation, use, and development of state lands. Designed primarily to support agricultural colonization, especially in the Dry Zone.[1][2][3][4]
Provisions of the Ordinance
[edit]The ordinance provided the legal authority for the state to alienate crown lands to landless individuals under specified conditions. Key features included:
- Permits and Grants: Lands were distributed initially through permits (temporary cultivation rights) and later converted to grants (permanent ownership) after fulfilling cultivation conditions.
- Allotment Size: Land parcels typically ranged from 2.5 to 5 acres, suitable for subsistence farming.
- Inalienability: Lands could not be sold, mortgaged, or leased without government approval, ensuring long-term use for agriculture rather than speculation.
- Inheritance Rules: Only one heir could inherit land to prevent subdivision and preserve economic viability.
- Administrative Supervision: The Land Commissioner’s Department was created to administer the program and ensure compliance.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ Moore, M. (1985). The State and Peasant Politics in Sri Lanka. Cambridge University Press. pp. 39–40.
- ^ Berugoda, S. (1980). "SOME ASPECTS OF RECORDS PERTAINING TO LAND OWNERSHIP IN SRI LANKA FROM 1800 A.D. ONWARDS". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Sri Lanka Branch. 25: 122–35.
- ^ Jayawardena, Kumari (1977). Agrarian Change and Peasant Protest in Sri Lanka. Colombo: Social Scientists’ Association.
- ^ Wriggins, W. Howard (1960). Ceylon: Dilemmas of a New Nation. Princeton University Press.
- ^ Land Development Ordinance No. 19 of 1935. Ceylon: Department of Government Printing. 1935.
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