( 6U ) 



Secretary, asking whether it was to be assumed that Mr. Fremantle 

 and Mr. Courthope should first endeavour to induce landholders 

 to reclaim and afforest ravine lands at their own expense and that, 

 if they expressed their unwillingness or inability to do so, they 

 should suggest to them that they should make over such areas to 

 be dealt with departmentally. The reply received on llth February, 

 1915, may be summarized as follows: Government does not contem- 

 plate taking over and managing further areas till the Etawah 

 . scheme has justified itself, but is willing to advise and help land- 

 holders without undertaking financial responsibility: in other words 

 the Chief Secretary's reply repeats the gist of paragraph 9 of reso- 

 lution 971, but does not reconcile it with the Lieutenant-Governor's 

 appeal to the landholders of the Jhansi district to hand over their 

 lands for reclamation purposes, or with G. 0. no. 175-L/XIV. The 

 writers of this report therefore think that the ultimate policy of 

 Government is as yet undefined and think it is possible that 

 Government is awaiting the receipt of this report before coming 

 to a final decision, and they therefore thought it wiser at this 

 late stage of their investigation that they should pursue their 

 enquiries on the lines agreed upon in November, 1914, that is (1) 

 to examine into the possibilities of schemes for the reclamation of 

 ravine lands in different localities, (2) to enquire as to the willing- 

 ness of landholders to undertake such schemes in co-operation with 

 each either at their own expense or by taqavi loans or to hand over 

 such areas to Government for management, (3) to ascertain to 

 what extent the landholders would be willing to make field embank- 

 ments on the gently sloping uplands with the help of taqavi loans, 

 and (4) to ascertain how far reclamation of ravines is suitable for 

 famine works and to suggest localities in which projects for such 

 works might be drawn up. 



5. In carrying out this investigation the following localities 

 bave been visited and examined by Mr. Fremantle : 



(a) Both banks of the Banna river with its tributaries from 

 10 miles south of the Bath-Muskara road to the junc- 

 tion of the Betwa and Barma rivers in the Hamirpur 

 district ; 



(6) Both banks of the Dhasan river and its tributaries from 

 Rora- to its junction with the Betwa in the Hamirpur 

 and Jhansi distric s ; 



(c) Both banks of the Betwa from Paricha to Hamirpur town 



in the Jhansi, Jalaun and Hamirpur districts ; 

 (d) a block of ravines on the Jumna near Kalpi ; 

 and by Mr. Courthope the ravines of the Jumna and Chambal rivers 



