Locust Destruction Act of 1907

CHAPTER 7 1907 ACTS pages The Locusts Destruction Act . . . . ~. .. .. 30-32 The Boats Act ., . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33-37 [1.9.1907] Title. Power to enter on lands and execute works. Power to call on persons to assist in destruction of locusts. THE LOCUSTS DESTRUCTION ACT, 1907 ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS Section L Title. 2. Power to enter on lands and execute works. 3. Power to call on persons to assist in destruction of locusts. 4, Penalty for neglect to assist in destruction of locusts. 5. Power to order lands to be ploughed, etc. 6. Duty to give information as to swarms and eggs of locusts. 7. Duty of sheikhs and omdas on receipt of information. 8. People may be required to point out where locusts or eggs are. 9. Offences - by what Courts triable. 10. People's Executive Council may confer powers upon any person. THE LOCUSTS DESTRUCTION ACT, 1907 An Act for making better provision for the destruction of locusts. 1. This Act may be cited as the Locusts Destruction Act, 1907. 2. The People's Executive Council, the People's Local Council, omdas and sheikhs, and any person authorized by them may, for the purpose of destroying locusts or locusts' eggs, enter upon any land, and dig, plough and tum over the soil, erect screens, dig pits, burn scrub, and do all such other things as may be expedient for the aforesaid purpose. 1 3. (1) The People's Executive Council or the People's Local Council may call upon every person capable of labour to assist in the destruction of locusts and locusts' eggs.? (2) Persons shall not be requisitioned for this purpose 1. 1961 Act No. 10; 1973 Act No. 43. 2. tu« unless they are residing within a reasonable distance of the locality where the destruction of locusts or locusts' eggs is to be effected. (3) Any person so requisitioned may at his cost furnish a substitute in his place, provided that such substitute comes from a place, the inhabitants of which have not been called upon to assist in the destruction of locusts or locusts' eggs. 4. Any person, who, after being called on to assist in the destruction of locusts or locusts' eggs under section 3, neglects to do so, shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding thirty days, or to a fine not exceeding LS. 2. 5. (1) The People's Executive Council, the People's Local Council and any other person authorized by the People's Executive Council, may order that lands upon which locusts' eggs have been deposited in such numbers as to constitute a public danger, shall be ploughed, or worked with a hoe in such manner as to expose the eggs to the air: Provided that in case of lands planted with vegetables, melons, cotton, or sugar cane, such order shall be limited to requiring that they shall be worked with a hoe as thoroughly as possible without uprooting the plants) (2) The People's Executive Council or the People's Local Council may requisition the use of cattle and other animals, which are employed in agriculture, and ploughs for the purposes of sub-section (1).4 6. It shall be the duty of every person who sees any swarm of locusts flying or hopping or laying eggs or who finds any place where locusts' eggshave been laid, to reportthe same forth with to the sheikh or omda ofthe nearest village or to the People's Local Council office, or officer in charge of a police station, unless he can show that some other person bas already made such report before he himself could do so or that the matter of such report is such common knowledge as to be well known to the person to whom such report ought otherwise to be made. The person reporting shall give full particulars of the place where and time when he saw the locusts or eggs, the 3. 1961 Act No. 10; 1973 Act No. 43. 4. Ibid. Penalty for neglect to assist in destruction of locusts. Power to order lands to be ploughed, etc. Duty to give information as to swarms and eggs of locusts. Duty of sheikhs and omdas on receipt of information. People may be required to point out where locusts or eggs are. Offences -by what Courts triable. People's Executive Council may confer powers upon any person. size of the swarm and general direction in which it was moving and in the case of hopping locusts their size or apparent age. Every such person who not being prevented by any reason able cause fails to give information as aforesaid shall be liable to be punished with fine not exceedingL5. 2 or with imprison ment for a term not exceeding thirty days or with both.> 7. Every sheikh or omda who receives or is aware of any such information as aforesaid shall forthwith communicate the same to the nearest People's Local Council office or officer in charge of a police station. Every such sheikh or omda who fails to communicate any such information as aforesaid shall be liable to be punished with fine not exceeding L8. 2 or with imprisonment for a term not exceeding thirty days.f 8. It shall be lawful for the People's Executive Council or the People's Local Council to require any person whom it has reason to believe that such person knows where any swarms of locusts are or may be found or where any locusts' eggs have been deposited to accompany any Government official or employee and point out the same. Every person who fails to comply with any such requisition shall be liable to be punished with fine not exceeding L8. 5 or with imprisonment for a term not exceeding two months or with both.? 9. Offences under this Act may be tried by the Court of a Magistrate of the third class or any higher Court and sum marily or non-summarily. 10. The People's Executive Council may confer upon any person any of the powers given by this Act to the People's Local Council.s 5. 1961 Act No. 10; 1973 Act No. 43. 6. Ibid. 7. 1961 Act No. 10; 1973 Act No. 43; 1974 Act No. 40. 8. 1961 Act No. 10; 1973 Act No. 43.