The Hindu Business Line : Define `market' in 113 words

CANTONMENTS are permanent military stations where troops are housed when there are no hostilities. In India, defence owns 17.31 lakh acres, out of which 2 lakh acres are situated within 62 notified cantonments being managed under the existing Act, called The Cantonments Act, 1924.

"There is no statute to cover the management of about 15 lakh acres of defence lands lying outside the cantonments," informs the "statement of objects and reasons" of one of the Bills lying in Parliament, "The Cantonments Bill, 2003". These defence lands are regulated by executive instructions (not covered under any statute) issued by the Central Government from time to time through "Acquisition, Custody, Relinquishment of Military Land in India (ACR) Rules, 1944", which are non-statutory in nature. They were perhaps a law unto themselves.

Now, to streamline Cantonments, the Bill aims at greater democratisation, reservation of seats in Cantonment Boards for women and the Scheduled Castes/ Scheduled Tribes, better financial management, extension of centrally sponsored development schemes to such areas, management of defence lands and their audit. Laudable objectives, but what would interest a lay reader are some of the definitions in the Bill.

What is a `building'? It means "a house, outhouse, stable, latrine, shed, hut or other roofed structure whether of masonry, brick, wood, mud, metal or other material, and any part thereof, and includes a well and a wall other than a boundary wall but does not include a tent or other portable and temporary shelter." So, if somebody tells you over the mobile that he or she is in a building, you may have to think of all different possibilities.

Boundary wall is "a wall which abuts on a street and which does not exceed two and a half metres in height." And a hut is "any building, no material portion of which above the plinth level is constructed of masonry or of squared timber framing or of iron framing."

Dairy includes "any farm, cattle-shed, milk-store, milk-shop or other place from which milk is supplied or in which milk is kept for purposes of sale or is manufactured for the sale into butter, ghee, cheese or curds, and, in relation to a dairyman who does not occupy any premises for the sale of milk, includes any place in which he keeps the vessels used by him for the storage or sale of milk." That is 73 words, if you wanted to know. Who is a `dairyman'? The term "includes the keeper of a cow, buffalo, goat, ass or other animal, the milk of which is offered or is intended to be offered for sale for human consumption, and any supplier of milk and any occupier of a dairy."

The next `d' is `dangerous disease'. It means "cholera, leprosy, enteric fever, smallpox, tuberculosis, diphtheria, plague, influenza, venereal disease, hepatitis, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and any other epidemic, endemic, infectious or communicable disease which the Board may by public notice, declare to be, an infectious, contagious or communicable disease for the purposes of this Act." Long definitions are not a disease, as yet.

Since you track the Sensex, you may like to know what a `market' is. It "includes any place where persons assemble for the sale of, or for the purpose of exposing for sales meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, animals intended for human food or arty other articles of human food whatsoever, with or without the consent of the owner of such place notwithstanding that there may be no common regulation for the concourse of buyers and sellers and whether or not any control is exercised over the business of, or the persons frequenting, the market by the owner of the place or by any other person, but shall not include a single shop or group of shops not being more than six in number and shops within unit lines." That adds up to 113 words.

Now, you want to know what `nuisance' is. It includes "any act, omission, place, animal or thing which causes or is likely to cause injury, danger, annoyance or offence to the sense of sight, smell or hearing or disturbance to rest or sleep, or which is or may be dangerous to life or injurious to health or property."

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