Administrative System of the Marathas c18.s27.1

c18.s27.1

In times of famine and scarcity, the favourite remedy of English statesmen during the first four decades of the 19th century had been a sliding scale of tariff, intended to secure agricultural interest, and at the same time to procure relief to the distressed. The Maratha government on such occasions boldly met the difficulty by the total suspension of Zakat and temporary introduction of free import of foodstuff and agricultural necessities. But the means of communication in those days were not so advanced, and in spite of these wise measures famine had often terrible consequences. Means of communication, such as ferry-boats and roads, were not neglected by the Peshwa's government. The government sometimes granted money for the construction of ferry-boats, and the roads were in general good, particularly in the neighbourhood of big cities. The Duke of Wellington, then Sir Arthur Wellesley, remarks in his despatches "The roads are excellent except when the rain is heavy." Among the papers of the second Madhava Rao, we find a letter to Balaji Mahadev, Mamlatdar of Taluka Shivner, (1783-84), ordering him to repair the road through the pass of Malje in Tarf Shivner, one-fourth of the total expense was to be paid from the land revenue of the district and the remaining three-fourths were to be raised by the Kamavisdars of Zakat. The same road was for a second time repaired nine years later. The contribution to the major portion of the expenses by the Kamavisdars of Zakat shows that these roads were mainly meant for trade purposes.²⁸