Section 16: Powers and duties of the Administrator generally

16. Powers and duties of the Administrator generally.—(1) The Administrator may take such measures as he considers necessary or expedient for the purpose of securing, administering and managing any abandoned property or property of which possession has been taken by him and may, for and such purpose as aforesaid, do all acts and incur all expenses necessary or incidental thereto. (2) Without prejudice to the generality of the provisions contained it sub­section (1), the Administrator may— (a) carry on the business or undertaking of a specified person ; (b) enter or authorise any person to enter on any land or premises to inspect any abandoned property; (c) take all such measures as may be necessary to keep any abandoned property in good repair ; (d) direct any person, notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force relating to the disclosure of any information by a public servant or any other person, to furnish such return, account or other information in relation to any property and to produce such documents as the Administrator considers necessary for the discharge of his duties under this Act ; (e) search, or authorise any other person to search, any building or place in which the Administrator has reason to believe that any abandoned property or any document tending to show that any person is a specified person or that any property is abandoned property is being kept or concealed and take possession thereof ; (f) determine the rent to be recovered from a person found in unauthorised occupation of abandoned property for the period of such occupation ; (g) create a charge on abandoned property ; (h) incur or allow any expenditure to be incurred in the prescribed manner including the payment of taxes, duties, cesses and rates to the Government or to any local authority or of any debt due by a specified person or any claim against him after satisfying himself as to the genuineness of such due or claim; (i) demolish or dismantle any abandoned property which in the opinion of the Administrator cannot be repaired ; (j) evict with such force as may be necessary an unauthorised occupant of abandoned property or an occupant of such property to whom it has been let out by or on behalf of the Administrator and who makes default in paying the rent for such property or otherwise commits a breach of the terms on which it is let out ; (k) 1[* * * * * * *] 2[(l) invest in any security approved by the Federal Government in the manner as may be prescribed.] (3) The Administrator shall exercise the powers and perform the functions assigned to him by or under this Act under the general supervision and control of the Board.

Effective date: 1975-01-01

Related sections