Section 42(1) in The West Bengal Panchayat Act, 1973
(1)All properties within the local limits of the jurisdiction of a Gram Panchayat of the nature hereinafter in this section specified, other than property maintained by the Central or the State Government or a local authority or any other Gram Panchayat, shall vest in and belong to the Gram Panchayat, and shall, with all other property of whatsoever nature or kind which may become vested in the Gram Panchayat, be under its direction, management and control, that is to say-(a)all public streets, including the soil, stones and other materials thereof and all drains, bridges, culverts, trees, erections, materials, implements and other things provided for such streets;(b)all public channels, water courses, springs, tanks, ghats, reservoirs, cisterns, wells, aqueducts, conduits, tunnels, pipes, pumps and other water-works, whether made, laid or erected at the cost of the Gram Panchayat or otherwise, and all bridges, buildings, engines, works, materials and things connected therewith or appertaining thereto and also any adjacent land (not being private property) appertaining to any public tank:Provided that water pipes and any waterworks, connected therewith or appertaining thereto which with the consent of the Gram Panchayat are laid or set up in any street by the owners of any mill, factory, dockyard, workshop or the like primarily for the use of their employees shall not be deemed to be public waterworks by reason of their use by the public;(c)all public sewers and drains, and all works, materials and things appertaining thereto and other conservancy works:Provided that for the purpose of enlarging, deepening or otherwise repairing or maintaining any such sewer or drain the subsoil appertaining thereto shall also be deemed to vest in the Gram Panchayat:Provided further that where any installation or work for the treatment or disposal of sewage is constructed by the owners of any mill, factory, dockyard, workshop or the like primarily for the use of their employees, the laying of sewers and other things appertaining thereto in a street, with the consent of the Gram Panchayat, shall not by virtue of this clause or by reason of their use by the public cause such installation or sewers or works appertaining thereto to vest in the Gram Panchayat;(d)all sewage, rubbish and offensive matter deposited on streets or collected by the Gram Panchayat from streets, latrines, urinals, sewers, cesspools and other places;(e)all public lamps, lamp-posts and apparatus connected therewith or appertaining thereto; and(f)all buildings erected by the Gram Panchayat and all lands and buildings or other property transferred to the Gram Panchayat by the Central or the State Government or acquired by gift, purchase or otherwise for local public purposes.
