The West Bengal Land Reforms ( Amendment) Act, 2023

NoIkea 
*10444‘31z1 
Extraordinary 
Published by Authority 
Registered No. WB/SC-247 
	 No. WB(Part-III)/2023/SAR-12 
Gayttr 
CHAITRA 20] 	 MONDAY, APRIL 10, 2023 	 [SAKA 1945 
PART III—Acts of the West Bengal Legislature. 
GOVERNMENT OF WEST BENGAL 
LAW DEPARTMENT 
Legislative 
NOTIFICATION 
No. 355-L.-10th April, 2023.—The following Act of the West Bengal Legislature, having been assented to by the 
Governor, is hereby published for general information:— 
West Bengal Act VII of 2023 
THE WEST BENGAL LAND REFORMS (AMENDMENT) ACT, 2023. 
[Passed by the West Bengal Legislature.] 
[Assent of the Governor was first published in the Kolkata Gazette, 
Extraordinary, of the 10th April, 2023.] 
An Act to amend the West Bengal Land Reforms Act, 1955. 
WHEREAS it is expedient to amend the West Bengal Land Reforms Act, 1955, for West Ben. Act X 
of 1956. 
the purpose of incorporation of the word "township" in the second proviso to section 
14Y and also for improving ease of doing business and hassle free transfer/mortgage 
of land and for inviting more investment and also for providing an option for the 
conversion of leasehold land to freehold land and/or for settlement of Government 
non-agricultural land and leased out land and to provide necessary measures to hold 
such freehold ceiling surplus land in the manner hereinafter appearing; 
2 	 THE KOLKATA GAZETTE, EXTRAORDINARY, APRIL 10, 2023 	 [PART III 
The West Bengal Land Reforms (Amendment) Act, 2023. 
(Sections 1 —5.) 
Short title and 
commencement. 
Amendment of 
section 14L of 
West Ben. Act X 
of 1956. 
Amendment of 
section 14Y. 
Amendment of 
section 51A. 
Amendment of 
section 52. 
It is hereby enacted in the Seventy-fourth Year of the Republic of India, by the 
Legislature of West Bengal, as follows:- 
1. (1) This Act may be called the West Bengal Land Reforms (Amendment) 
Act, 2023. 
(2) It shall come into force on such date as the State Government may, by 
notification in the Official Gazette, appoint. 
2. In section 14L of the West Bengal Land Reforms Act, 1955 (hereinafter 
referred to as the principal Act), for the words, letters, figures and brackets "Subject 
to the provisions of sub-section (3) of section 14Q, section 14Y and sub-section (2) 
of section 14Z", the words, letters, figures and brackets "Subject to the provisions 
of sub-section (3) of section 14Q, section 14Y, sub-section (2) of section 14Z and 
second proviso to sub-section (2) of section 52" shall be substituted. 
3. In section 14Y of the principal Act, for the second proviso the following 
proviso shall be substituted:— 
"Provided further that such person having been permitted by the State Government 
to establish an industrial park or industrial hub or industrial estate or financial hub 
or logistic hub or a bio-tech park or a food park or township, shall utilize such land 
and lease out or transfer on freehold basis on payment of prescribed fees to the Land 
and Land Reforms and Refugee Relief and Rehabilitation Department the whole or 
any part of it with the previous permission of the appropriate Department of the State 
Government under intimation to the Land and Land Reforms and Refugee Relief and 
Rehabilitation Department, for the purpose for which he has been so permitted to 
acquire and hold such land to such a person who will set up an unit thereon as per 
objects of the respective projects as approved:". 
4. In sub-section (4) of section 51A of the principal Act, for the words, figure 
and brackets "on application within one year, or on his own motion within thirty-
five years from the date of publication of the record of rights under sub-section (2),", 
the words "on information or on his own motion," shall be substituted. 
5. In section 52 of the principal Act,— 
( 1) in sub-section (2), the following provisos shall be inserted:— 
"Provided that an existing lessee of such land of non-agricultural purposes or a 
person, a body of individuals, a society, an institution, a corporation, a company, 
a firm, a trust or a co-operative society intending to take lease of any such land for 
non-agricultural purposes, may apply before the State Government for holding such 
demised land on freehold basis as a raiyat, which may be permitted by the State 
Government on payment of such premium and for such specific classes of land as 
may be prescribed, if such permission in the opinion of the State Government is so 
required for that particular purposes only: 
Provided further that State Government having regard to all the circumstances of 
the case of an existing lessee of such land of non-agricultural purposes or a person, 
a body of individuals, a society, an institution, a corporation, a company, a firm, 
a trust or a co-operative society intending to take lease, may allow to hold such 
freehold land as raiyat for the purpose for which it is settled or intended to be settled, 
with permission in writing, on such terms and conditions as may be prescribed, even 
if the total quantum of land including such freehold land held by such raiyat exceeds 
the ceiling area as prescribed under section 14M of this Act."; 
PART III] 	 THE KOLKATA GAZETTE, EXTRAORDINARY, APRIL 10, 2023 	 3 
The West Bengal Land Reforms (Amendment) Act, 2023. 
(Section 5.) 
(2) in sub-section (3), for the words "If the State Government is of the opinion 
that different sets of rules are necessary for the management of different classes or 
description of lands or lands of different areas,", the words, figure and brackets "If 
the State Government is of the opinion that different sets of rules are necessary for 
the management of different classes or description of lands or lands of different areas, 
as well as for the purposes mentioned under the provisos to sub-section (2)," shall 
be substituted. 
By order of the Governor, 
PRADIP KUMAR PANJA, 
Pr. Secy. to the Govt. of West Bengal, 
Law Department. 
Published by Law Department, Government of West Bengal and 
Printed at Saraswaty Press Ltd.(Government of West Bengal Enterprise), Kolkata 700 056. 

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