Section 1

Section 1 of the Assam Panchayat Act, 1994. This Act may be called the Assam Panchayat Act, 1994.

(1) This Act may be called the Assam Panchayat Act, 1994.

(2) It shall extend to the whole of Assam in the rural areas except the Autonomous Districts under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India and shall exclude any ares which has been or hereinafter may be included in a Municipality or a Town Committee or a Cantonment constituted under the Assam Municipal Act, 1956 and the Cantonment Act, 1924 respectively or by any other Act.

(3) It shall come into force at once. Definition 2. In this Act, unless there anything repugnant in the subject or context :- (1) "Gaon Sabha" means a body consisting of persons registered in the electoral rolls relating to a village comprised within the area of "Gaon Panchayat";

(2) "Gaon Panchayat" means a Gaon Panchayat established under this Act;

(3) "Anchalik Panchayat" means an Anchalik Panchayat established under this Act ;

(4) "Zilla Parishad" means a Zilla Parishad established under this Act ;

(5) "Local Authority" Includes Gaon Sabha, Gaon Panchayat, Anchalik Panchayat, Zilla Parishad, Municipal Corporation, Municipal Boards and Town Committees ; THE ASSAM GAZETTE EXTRAORDINARY, MAY 6, 1994 (6) "Notification" means a notification published in the official Gazette ;

(7) "Panchayati Raj Bodies" means the Gaon Panchayat, Ancha- lik Paschayat and Zilla Parishad ;

(8) "Adult" means a person male or female having completed his or her eighteen years of age ;

(9) "Village" means any local area, recorded as a village in the revenue record of the District in which it is situated and includes any areas which the State Government may, by general or special order, declare to be a village for the purpose of this Act ;

(10) "Co-operative Society" means a society registered or deemed to be registered under the Assam Co-operative Societies Act, 1949, or under any Central Act regulating the registration of Co-operative societies ;

(11) "Member" means a member of a Gaon Panchayat of a Ancha- lik Panchayat or of a Zilla Parishad ;

(12) "Ex-officio Member" means a member who is appointed to be a member by virtue of his office, and for the purpose of Gaon Panchayat or Anchalik Panchayat or Zilla Parishad and may Include local Members of Parliament, local Members of Legislative Assembly, State Government Officials, Representative of local Co-operative Societies and representative of local scheduled or non-scheduled banks ;

(13) "Co-opted Member" means a person co-opted to be a member of a Gaon Panchayat or Anchalik Panchayat or Zilla Parishad ;

(14) "Scheduled Caste" means such caste, race or tribe or part of or group within such caste, race or tribe as is deemed to be Scheduled Caste in relation to the State of Assam under Article 341 of the Constitution of India ;

(15) "Scheduled Tribe" means such tribe or tribal community as is deemed to be Scheduled Tribe in relation to the State of Assam under Article 342 of the Constitution of India ;

(16) "Public-Servant" means a public servant as defined in Section 21 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 ;

(17) "Public Property" means any property belonging to Government or any local authority ;

(18) "District" means a district in a State ;

(19) "Bazar, Haat or Market" means any place within the administrative control of the local authority where persons assemble daily or bi-weekly or periodically for sale or purchase of article fo THE ASSAM GAZETTE, EXTRAORDINARY, MAY 6, 1994 human or animal consumptions or of livestocks or of other marchan- dise ;

(20) "Carriage" means any wheeled vehicle with springs or other appliances acting as spring or a kind ordinarily used for conveyance of human beings and includes bicycles, tricycles, rickshaws, of all kinds and country boat whether operated with or without engine but does not include motor-vehicle and perambulators ;

(21) "Cart" means any cart, hackney or wheeled vehicle with or without springs which is not a caniage as defined in sub-section 20 ;

(22) "Cattle" includes such quadrupeds as are included in the Cattle Tresspass Act, 1981 ;

23) The expression "Complaint" and "Offence" shall have the same meaning as in Section 2 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 ;

(24) "Bye-Law" means bye-law made and approved under the provision of this Act ;

(25) The expression "Decree Holder" "Judgement" "Debtor" "Legal representative" and "Moveable Property" shall have the same meaning as in Section 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1988 ;

(26) (i) "Financial year" means the year commencing on the first day of April every year and ending on the thirty-first day of March next year.

(ii) "Panchayat Year" means the year commencing on the first day of July or on such other date as the State Government may by notification appoint.

(27) "House-hold" means a house or houses used by a family for dwelling purposes ( house includes building ) ;

(28) "Prescribed" means prescribed by the State Government by rules made under this Act ;

(29) "Proceedings" means any proceeding specified under this Act, other than 'case', 'action' or 'suit' ;

(30) "Water Course" includes river, stream, channel, tank, well and aquaduct ;

(31) "Sur-charge" means an additional charge or payment ;

(32) "Development Departments" under the provision of this Act shall include such departments as may be notified by the State Government from time to time ; THE ASSAM GAZETTE, EXTRAORDINARY, MAY 6, 1994 (33) "State Government" means the Government in the Panchayat and Rural Development Department, Assam ;

(34) "President" means a non-official who is elected as the President of Gaon Panchayat or Anchalik Panchayat or Zilla Parishad ;

(35) "Vice-President"' means a non-official who is elected as the Vice-President of Gaon Panchayat or Anchalik Panchayat or Zilla Parishad ;

(36) "Chair-person" means the elected Non_official head, either male or female as the case may be, of Gaon Panchayat or Anchalik Panchayat or a Zilla Parishad or a District Planning Committee ;

(37) "Block Development Officer" means officer who is noti. fied as such for a development block ;

(38) "Chief Executive Officer" mean the executive head of the office of Zilla Parishad ;

(39) "Executive Officer" means the Block Development Officer, who shall function as executive Officer of an Anchalik Panchayat, the boundary of which is co-terminous with that of the Development Blocks ;

(40) "Secretary" means the Secretary of a Gaon Panchayat ; e (41) "Deputy Commissioner" means the Deputy Commissioner of a district so notified by the Government. The term Deputy Commi - ssioner shall mean and include an Additional Deputy Commissioner and a Sub-Divisional Officer of an outlying Sub-Division. CHAPTER-II CONSTITUTION OF DISTRICT PLANNING COMMITTEE

Section 1, The Assam Panchayat Act, 1994 (Act 18 of 1994).