‘REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY, FOR THE YEAR 1887-88’ [‎63v] (131/531)

m
BOMBAY ADMINISTBATION REPORT.
[1887-88.
Southern Mar&tha
Country Settle-
ments.
In the Dekkhanthe settlement operations comprised the introduction of revised rate
into 102 Grovernment villages of the Akola and 142 of the Maval taluka and 6 mam
villages of the JAmkhed taluka; and the introduction of an original settlement into one
khalsa village of the A.kola and one inam village of the Nagar taluka.
The 102 Government villages of the Akola taluka into which revised survey rates
were introduced, form the hilly portion of the taluka, and are comprised in a tract full of
hills and ravines. The soil is of a light colour and varies very little in quality, thouo-p
its fertility is in proportion to its depth. With a good rainfall it yields good crops
of the hill grains usually grown in these villages. The rice soil is not good, and is seldom
if ever, found in conjunction with a durable supply of water. The climate is on the
whole much more moist than that of the villages which lie immediately to the east and
form the Deshi (above-ghat) portion of the taluka. The villages are traversed by three
made roads, of which the principal is the one which, commencing from the Ghoti station
on the G. I. P. Railway, connects the tract in which the villages are situated with the Deshi
portion of the taluka. The chief crops are rice and wheat, though the area occupied by
them is not large. Gram and khurasni are also grown and are largely exported. The total
area of these villages is 239,387 acres, or 374 square miles, with a population of 97 persons
per square mile. Owing to the imperfect nature of the original survey work the vilkmes
had to be entirely re-measured and re-classed at the revision survey. The effect of the
introduction of revised survey rates into these villages was an increase of 22 per cent, on
the former demand.
The Maval taluka comprises 168 villages in all, of which 142 are Government
and 26 alienated. The total area of the 142 Government villages into which revised
survey rates were introduced during the year is 212,728 acres, or 332 square miles
containing a. population of 153 persons per square mile. The tract comprising these
villages is hilly, rugged $nd traversed by deep valleys. The soil in the valleys is
excellent black. The prevailing dry-crop land is of a reddish or grey tinge and is poor
m depth and quality. The chief product is rice, which is produced in a considerable
area of the taluka. The products next in importance are wheat and gram which
are largely exported. Nachni, though not valuable for export, forms the staple food-
gram, and is grown in 10 per cent, of the cultivated area. The communications of the
taluka are excellent—the line of made road passing from Poona to Bombay, which was
formerly the sole means of external communication, having now been supplemented by
the mam line of the G. I. P. Railway which passes through the heart of the taluka and
gives remunerative employment to a large number of the inhabitants. The population is
entirely^ agricultural, and there is no local industry deserving of mention, except perhaps
that which concerns the expression of oil from the khurasni grown in the taluka which is
carried on to some extent. The revision operations in all the 142 villages, except the 7 which
were formerly revised m 1874, have been performed de novo for the reason explained in the
case of the 102 villages of the Akola taluka. The effect of the introduction of revised rates
mto them was an increase of 31 per cent, on the former revenue.
T' m i T i, h j r i eS i tll i t ° f the in t roduction of revised survey rates into the 6 inam villages of the
Jamkhed taluka was an increase of 25 per cent., while in the case of the one inlm village
Sr.T, ent vi ( 1 ^• ° f ,‘? e At ° 1 * •“ uk *- ■»-« bi„“S
CD «
i? the S ° t >q ern Maratha Country, revision settlement was introduced into 36 villao-es of
the Tasgaon taluka and into 19 isolated villages of the Dhftrwdr and Biidpur Collectorates
n original settlement was also introduced into one inam village of the Kholapur State and
2 inam villages of the Lakshmeshvar taluka of the Miraj Jaghir. ^
The total number of Government villages in the Taso-aon tnlnVa ^ 4 ? u* i. i
SToTal : ar int ° “ed
264 persons per square mile. The Wluklk^^aUy^oTlyfn^Thrfew villaSsmhl
Mhdpur a pktSu er Xlh 0 e“to re ^ . ran * e8 of Mis which ramify°from the
open and Wond Tastnl ? in of T as f aon ! s approached, the country becomes more
Krishna and^rlS Xh ^ and south are the rich well-wooded valleys of the
enjoys a “od cl We a Jl /he T? ^ T 1 la ^ es of the tfiuka are situated. The tdluka
ofAthni* The Zlt tel^l th ? r ® 1S “'fl Certain than inthe neighbouring taluka
Thfvke 1 ft , 18 generally rich, and is much benefited by the floodins- of the Krishna
appea“/n:e 0f M«&:r th ? Wh ° le Care “- the fields kavl^T^an and w“
crop, and covers nearlv half > ™: ore e sp ecia llyin the light soils. Jowari is the staple
the Krishna produdnf nearly 50 pttel oTZhe toS V 1H ^ the ° f
the eastern villao-PQ onri i ^ i . 1 total yield. Bajn is largely produced m
considerable extent and fnvn exc " 1 u : Si J el y confined to that part. Tobacco is grown to a
circunSanced ^s ^eo-ards rZl Pf table P roduct - The taluka is favourably
The princ^al market^ 8 Trfaftn mos j’, ef which were improved during the famine years,
markets of San Mi and Mirai p V llcb cen ^ re trade for the whole taluka. The
much used by the peonle ^Tb 1C W1 ^ lm re ach of most of the villa ges, are also
use about 600 loomsbor cotton and sof//'^ 116 1 1 1 ndu f st ^. is of wmaving, there being
cotton and 80 for woollen fabrics. The revision survey opera-
in