Section 1 in The Tamil Nadu Compulsory Labour Act, 1858
1. [Adult able-bodied male persons] [Substituted for the words 'Able-bodied male persons' by the Tamil Nadu Compulsory Labour (Amendment) Act, 1964 (Tamil Nadu Act 19 of 1964).] may in certain cases be called upon to assist in preventing or repairing breaches in embankments and anicuts.
- Whenever it shall appear to the officer in charge of any tank, river or canal, or of any anicut or other like work, that there is imminent danger of the embankment of such tank, river or canal being breached, or of a breach being made in such anicut or other work, and of a destructive inundation being repairing caused thereby, which may be prevented by a large breaches body of [persons] [Substituted for the word 'labourers' by the Adaptation (Amendment) Order of 1950.] immediately working together to strengthen the embankment or other work, or when such a breach has occurred, if it shall appear to such officer that it can be repaired, and the inundation caused by it be stopped, by the immediate employment of a large body of [persons] [Substituted for the word 'labourers' by the Adaptation (Amendment) Order of 1950.] for that purpose, it shall be lawful for such officer to require the head or heads of the village or villages in the vicinity to call upon all adult able bodied male persons of an apparent age of not less than eighteen years and not more than forty-five years in such village or villages to co-operate in the work necessary for preventing or repairing the breach, as the case may be.In the absence of the said officer, it shall be lawful for the Tahsildar of' the taluk to make such requisition in his stead.And if neither the said officer nor the Tahsildar is on the spot, and the emergency is great and urgent, it shall be lawful for the head of the village in which the breach is expected to occur or has occurred, of his own motion, to call upon [all such able-bodied male persons] [Substituted for the words 'all able-bodied male persons in such village' by the Tamil Nadu Compulsory Labour (Amendment) Act, 1964 (Tamil Nadu Act 19 of 1964).] of his own village, and, if needful, to make a requisition to the heads of the neighbouring villages to call likewise upon [such able-bodied male persons] [Substituted for the words, 'the able-bodied male person' by the Tamil Nadu Compulsory Labour (Amendment) Act, 1964 (Tamil Nadu Act 19 of 1964).] of their villages, to co-operate in the work necessary for preventing or repairing the breach.
