In January, 1839, the first batch of tea manufactured in the Assam nurseries was sent to and sold at a very high price in the London market. Rana P Behal in his book, One hundred years of Servitude – Political Economy of Tea Plantations in Assam, writes, “the arrival and sale of tea in the London market marked the end of government involvement and the entry of private British capital in Assam, for the production of tea for the world market and the establishment of a viable alternative to the Chinese monopoly.” The Government also encouraged the entry of private enterprise for tea production in Assam, as a result of which, a number of capitalists, both in Calcutta and London, approached the authorities for detailed information about existing plantations and the possibilities of transfer to them. For example, the Assam Tea Company was formed in London on 14th February, 1839. So we need to understand the Waste Land Rules of 1838 and 1854 in light of this concept.
The Waste Land Rules were enacted to attract more private buyers. It made special rules of land grants whereby the planters got land at nominal prices. These rules were distinct from the ordinary rules for the occupation of plots of agricultural lands. According to the Wasteland Rules of 1838, Wastelands were offered on a 45 year lease to applicants on the condition that a quarter of the area must be cleared within five years, failing which the land was liable to resumption. By the terms and conditions of the land grants, one fourth of a grant was to be held revenue free in perpetuity. The remaining portion of the grant was to remain revenue free for an initial period of five to twenty years, varying according to the nature of the wasteland concerned: i.e. for five years if the land was under grass, ten years if under reed and high grass, and twenty years if under forest. Rana P. Behal further writes, “on expiry of this period, revenue was to be assessed at 9 annas per acre for the next three years, after which the rate was to be Rs 1 – 2 an acre for 22 years. The special rules fixed the area of land granted at a minimum of 100 acres, and applicants were required to be in possession of capital on stock worth Rs 3 per acre.” The official discourse given by the government, behind such grants, was supposed to be the general improvement of the province with benefits, which must result to its inhabitants from the introduction of foreign enterprise, capital and skill.
The amended 1854 wasteland rules, made these grants even more liberal and attractive for the European planters, providing for a 99 year lease. It also raised the minimum land area limit to 500 acres. A quarter of the grant was to be revenue free in perpetuity, and the remaining three fourths was to be revenue free for the first fifteen years. At the end of this period, the land was to be assessed at 3 annas per acre for another ten years and for the next seventy four years at 6 annas per acre.
The Assam Company was the major beneficiary of the Wasteland Rules, but after a decade, several other individuals also applied and acquired lands for tea cultivation.
By,
S. K. Ghising
References
. Rana P. Behal, One Hundred Years of Servitude – Political Economy of Tea Plantations in Colonial Assam, New Delhi, Tulika Books, 2014.
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