Page:A descriptive and historical account of the Godavery District in the presidency of Madras (IA descriptivehisto00morrrich).pdf/25

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GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE DISTRICT, 7

1, RAMACHANDRAPURAM TALDE,

‘The Taluk of Ramachandrapuram is the largest and most important ofall, It is of the first class. It contains 131 Government villages, and 28 Zemindéri villages, and 4 Agrahdérams and Mokhdsés. It is situated in the centre of the District, being bounded on the south by the Gautami branch of the Godavery, on the north by the Taluk of Peddipuram and the Division of Cocanada, on the east by the Gautami branch of the Godavery, and on the west by the Taluk of Rajahmundry.

‘The area of the Taluk is 507 square miles. The population is 203,583. According to the quinquennial returns of 1866-67 it was 184,110, 80 that the increase since then has been 19,473. Of the present population 200,345 are Hindus, 3205 Mohammedans, and 5 Christians, There are 44,000 houses in the Taluk, of which 42,981 are inhabited. The cultivable area is 89,963 acres, assessed by the Settlement Department at 269,283 rupees.

The revenue of the Taluk for Fasli 1282, including the assessment. of the lands under occupation, water cess, the permanently-settled Bériz, or fixed revenues from Zemindiris, and other miscellaneous items, amounts to $33,968 rupees. The following are the details —

Trupeen.

Land assessment . : « = 325513 Water cess a a s : « 417,354 Permanently-sottled Rériz and Shrétriyam Jédi. 22,968 Other miscellancous items : : - 68,133 833,968

The rates of the land assessment, both for dry and wet cultivation, aceording to the new Survey and Settlement, which were introduced into this Taluk in Fasli 1276, vary from 6 annas to 20 rupees an acre. The rates are consolidated when the water is received from tanks and mountain streams. When lands assessed at dry rates are irrigated from the Aunicut channels, water cess is levied separately, according to the rates presoribed for each crop raised, namely, 4 rupees an aere for wet crops, 2 rupees for dry crops, 4 rupees for garden crops, and 8 rupees when they require water throughout the whole year, This Taluk is amply supplied with the means of irrigation. Thero are six Annicut main canals running through it in various directions, �