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.
Provisions of the Ordinance
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.
References
- ↑ 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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