CHAPTER XI REVENUE ADMINISTRATION Sirsa seems to beinthe ...

larger were' their profits. This state of things continued till the seftlen:lent of
1879•....83 drew near, when the increased competition f'Ot) ;and t4f.
OODSeqllent increased.' value of land induced ~oprietor$" td" St'-op rleW
¢ultivatiun exeept at kigher rents and to demand higher rents fOt' land \vhich
had been brought 1ltt4.er cultivation since settlement. The tenants in the
expectation ofa further 8l'ant of occupancy rights at settlement refused to pay
Iiigher rents and the consequence was a larger number of ejectment proceedings
'under, the Tenancy Act of 1868. These tenants met with claims for
occupancy rights, 'but the Act in questioll,~~v~no substantial support/to such
claims. After a p,roposal for special legislation had been negatived the tenants
claims were in the great majority of cases rejected 'and in respect of lands
brought under cultivation after 1868, the tenants had to pay. the proprietors'
demand .or be ejected. Such a step:brought many a tenant, whose occupancy
hold,ing conferred at the previous settlement was not large enough to support
him and his family, \ into the greatest difficulties. 1
, The above situation of tenant right made clear the importance of the
tenlttlt element in the socio-ecOnomic condition of the district. Later the
Punjab Tenancy Act of 1887 was enacted but this Act hardly provided any
security to tenants. Most of the suits were decided against the tenants. The
following table would show the cultivating occupancy in the disbict after the
enllctment of Punjab Tenancy Act of 1887:-
1891
1901-02
1911-12
1,921-22
1'931-32'
Proprietors Tenants with
Occupancy
Rights
Tena~t')
at Will
It will be seen from the above table that the proportion of the cultivated
atea in the hands of tenlihts rises to 75 per cent and the above account oftbe
development of tenancy tenures will explain, this feature.