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Madhya Pradesh Sinchai Prabandhan Me Krishkon Ki

Bhagidari Adhiniyam, 1999
[Act No. 23 of 1999]

Se ctio n 1 - Sho rt title, ext ent a nd commen ce ment-

Se ctio n 2 D efinitions-

Se ctio n 3- D elineation of Wat er U sers' Area and constitution of an

association-

Se ctio n 4 - Man aging Co mmitt ee of Wat er U sers' Asso ciation-

Se ctio n 5- D elineation of Distributo ry a rea and con stitution of the

Dist ributo ry Co mmit tee-

Se ctio n 6 - Election of Managing Co mmittee of Distributo ry Co mmitt ee-

Se ctio n 7 - D elineation of Pro ject a rea a nd co nst ruction of Proj ect

Commi ttee-

Se ctio n 8 - Election of Managing Co mmittee f or Proj ect every C o mmittee-

Se ctio n 9 - Apex Co mmittee-

Se ctio n 10 - Pro cedure f or recall-

Se ctio n 11 - Con stitution of Sub-Co mmitt ees in Fa r me rs' O rgani satio n-

Se ctio n 12 - Fa rmers' O rganisation to b e a bo dy co rporate-

Se ctio n 13 - Chang es in Fa rmers' O rgani sation

Se ctio n 14 - Disqualification s of Candidat es o r Me mbers

Se ctio n 15 - Filling up of Vaca ncie s-

Se ctio n 16 Objects-

Se ctio n 17 - Functions of Water Use rs' A sso ciation-

Se ctio n 18 - Functions of the Di stributo ry C ommi tte es-

Se ctio n 19 - Function s of Proje ct Co mmitt ees-

Se ctio n 20 - Pow er to levy and coll ect f ee-

Se ctio n 21 - Appointment of Co mp etent Authority and hi s functions-

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Se ctio n 22 - Re so urces of Fa r mers' Organi sation-

Se ctio n 23 - Of fences and P enalties-

Se ctio n 24 - Puni sh ment under other law s not ba rred-

Se ctio n 25 - Co mposi tion of offences-

Se ctio n 26 - Settle me nt of disput es-

Se ctio n 27 A ppeal s-

*************

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Madhya Pradesh Sinchai Prabandhan Me Krishkon Ki

Bhagidari Adhiniyam, 1999
[Act No. 23 of 1999]

PREAMBLE

An A ct to pro vide for Far mer s' p articip ation in the Man agement of Irri gation
Syst em an d for matter s co nn ect ed ther ewith or Incidental th er eto.

Be it en act ed b y th e Madh ya Pr adesh Le gi slatur e in th e Fiftieth Y ear of the

Republi c of Indi a as follows:

Se ctio n 1 - Sho rt titl e, ext ent a nd co mme nce ment-

(1) This Act may b e call ed th e Madh ya Pradesh Sinch ai Pr ab andh an Me

Krish kon Ki Bh agi d ari Adhini yam, 1 999.

(2) It ext ends to the whole of th e St at e of Madh ya Pr adesh .

(3) It shall co me into force2 on su ch d at e as th e St ate Go ver nm ent may, b y

notification in th e Offici al Gazett e, appoin t and different d at es may be
appointed for diff er ent areas and for diff er ent provi sions.

Se ctio n 2 D ef initions-

(1) In this Act, unl ess the co ntext oth erwi se requir es :

(a) "ar ea of op er ation" in relation to Far mers' Or gani sation mean s a

conti guo u s blo ck of l and in th e co mmand area of an irri gation syst em
as may b e notified b y the St at e Gover nment for the purpo ses of this
A ct;

(b) " ayacut ro ad" means a road within th e area of op er ation of a far mer s'
organi sation for th e p urpose of irrigation and agri cultur e but do es not
include a road vest ed in a Gram P anchayat, Jan p ad P an cha yat, Zil a
Panch ayat, Nagar Panch ayat, Muni cipal Coun cil, Municipal
Corporation or Publi c Works Dep artment of t he St ate Gover nm ent;

(c) "co mmand ar ea" m ean s an area irri gated or cap abl e of b eing irrigat ed
eith er by gravit ation al flow or b y lift irrigat ion or by an y oth er method
from a Go vern ment or the Go vernment aid ed sourc e and inclu d es ever y
such area whether it is call ed 'ayacut ' or b y an y oth er n ame u nder an y
law for th e time b ein g in force;

(d) "Comp et ent Autho rity" mean s th e Comp et ent Authorit y appoin ted u nd er
Section 21;

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(e) "di stributor y syst em" mean s and in clu d es.

(i) all main canal s, br an ch can al s, di stributories an d min or can al s

con struct ed f or the su pply and di stribution of water for irrigation;

(ii) all work s, structu res and appli an ces connect ed with the distr ibution of
w ater for irrigation; and

(iii) all field ch ann els and oth er r el ated ch annel s and stru ctures u nder a pipe
outlet;

(f) "dr ain age syst em" i n rel ation to an irri gation syst em in cludes.

(i) ch ann el s either n at ural or artifici al, for the di sch arge of waste or surplu s
w ater and all work s connect ed therewith or ancill ar y ther eto;

(ii) escap e ch ann el s from an irrigation or di stribution and other work s

con necte d th er ewith, b ut does not includ e works for r emo val of sew age;

(iii) all collectin g drains and m ain dr ain s to drain off surplu s water from
field dr ain s; and

(iv) all fi eld drain s and rel at ed stru ctures un der pipe outl et s;

(g) "Far mer s' Or ganisation" wh er ever it o ccu rs, shall m ean and in cl udes.

(i) wat er users' asso ci ation at the primar y l evel con si sting of all the w at er
user s' as con stituted u nder Section 3;

(ii) distributory com mittee at th e secondary l evel as con stitu ted und er
Se ction 5; and

(iii) project committee at th e proj ect l evel, as co n stituted und er Section 7;

(h) "fi eld ch annel " in cludes a ch ann el exi st ing or to b e con struct ed b y the
Stat e G overnment or by the l and hold er s o r by an y agenc y to rec ei ve
and di stribut e wat er from a pipe outlet or an opening in a wat er co urse
for irrigation of fi eld belongin g to Go vern ment or pri vate own ers;

(i) "field dr ain " in clu des a ch annel excavated an d maint ained by the l and
holder or by an y other agen cy, to disch arge w aste or surplu s wat er from
the l an d holdin g under a pip e outlet and in clud es dr ain s, escape
ch an nels and oth er similar work s exi sting o r to be con stru ct ed;

(j) "finan cin g agen cy" mean s any co mmer ci al bank or any co-oper ati ve
soci et y or an y oth er ban k or or gani sation est abli shed or in corpo rat ed
under any l aw for the time b ein g in force, whi ch lend s mo n ey for the
development of th e are a of op eration of the Far mer s' Or ganisation;

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(k) "h ydraulic basi s" m eans the b asi s for id entif yin g a vi abl e irri gat ed area
served b y one or more hydrauli c structures su ch as head work s,
distributories, minor s, pipe outl ets and the like;

Explanation : (i) "major irrigation syst em" mean s irrigation syst em und er
major irrigation proj ect h avin g irri gabl e co mm and ar ea of m ore th an 10 ,000
hect ar es;

(ii) "mediu m irri gation syst em" mean s irrigation syst em under m ediu m
irrigation proj ect h avi ng irrigabl e command ar ea of mor e than 2, 000 h ect ar es an d
up to 10,000 hect ar es;

(iii) "minor irrigation syst em" mean s irri gation syst em und er minor irrigation
project h avin g irrigable com mand area upto 2,000 h ect ar es.]

(m) "land h old er" mea ns an own er and or a ten ant r ecord ed as su ch in the
record of ri ghts under the Mad h ya Prad esh Lan d Revenu e Cod e, 1959
(No. 20 of 1959) in re sp ect of l and in the notified ayacut area o f an
irrigation syst em;

(n) "maint en ance" m eans execution of su ch work s on th e irrigation syst em

as are n ecessary to ensur e that th e physical syst em d esi gned to the
stand ards o p erat es for proper di stribution of wat er to the l and ho lder s
in the ar ea of op er ation;

(o) "op eration al pl an" mean s a sch edul e of irrigation d eli veries wit h d et ails
of the mode and du ration of suppli es dr awn up for regul ation of
irrigation in the com mand area of an irrigati on syst em;

(p) "w areb andi" mean s a syst em of di stributi on of wat er allo cation to w at er
user s b y turn, ac cordi ng to an appro ved sched ule indicatin g th e da y,
duration and the tim e of suppl y;

(q) "w at er allo cation" in rel ation to an irrigation syst em m eans distribution
of wat er d et ermined fr om ti me to ti me b y a Far mer s' Or gani sation in its
ar ea of op er ation;

(r) " water user" means and in clud es an y in dividu al or bod y corp orat e or a
soci et y using wat er for agri culture, do mestic, pow er, non-d omesti c,
co mmer ci al, industri al or an y oth er purp ose from a Go vern ment so urce
of irrigation;

(s) " canal officer" me ans the followin g Officer s of the 1[The Wat er
Resourc es D ep artm ent or the Narmada Vall ey D evelopm ent
D epartment] n amel y :

(a) The Chi ef En ginee r;

(b) Sup erintendin g En gin eer;

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(c) Exe cutive En gin eer;

(d) Sub -Di vi sion al Officer; and

(e) Can al D ep ut y Collector.

(2) The word s and expression s u sed in thi s Act, but not d efined, sh all ha ve
the same meanin g as a ssi gn ed to them in th e Madh ya Prad esh Irrigation A ct, 19 31
(No. 3 of 1931).

Se ctio n 3 - D elineation of Wat er U sers' Area and constitution o f an association-

(1) Th e [St at e Go vernment], may by notification and in ac cord an ce with the

rules mad e u nd er thi s Act, in thi s beh alf, d el ineat e e ver y command area und er ea ch
of the irri gation syst ems on a h ydrauli c basi s which may b e ad mini strati vel y
vi abl e; and d ecl ar e it t o b e a w at er users' ar ea for the purpo se of th is A ct:

Pro vided that in r esp ect of the com mand ar ea under the minor and lift
irrigation syst ems, th e entir e command area may, as far as po ssible form a sin gl e
w ater u sers' ar ea.

(2) Ever y w at er users' area sh all b e di vid ed into territorial con stituen ci es,
whi ch shall not b e l ess than four but not more than t en, as may b e prescrib ed.

(3) Th er e sh all b e a Wat er User s' A ssociation call ed b y it s loca l distinct

name for e ver y water users' ar ea d elineat ed und er sub -section (1).

(4) Every Wat er Users' Asso ci ation sh all consi st of the following memb er s,
namel y:

(a) [(i) all the w at er U sers' who are l an d h olders in a wat er Users' ar ea; the
wi ves of such land holder s, who do not h old lan d, shall b e d eemed to
be th e l and hold er s for the purpo ses of this A ct:

Pro vided that wh ere both th e ow ner and the t enant are l an d holder s in
resp ect of the same land, th e t en ant;]

(ii) all oth er wat er u sers in a w at er u ser s' area;

(iii) three ex-officio m emb ers on e of A min Cadr e and one of Sub -En gi n eer
Cadre from th e 6[Th e Wat er Resour ces Dep art ment or the N armada
V alley D evelopment Dep artment] wh o will A ct as Co-ordinator
bet ween th e Govern ment Dep artments and the Farm ers' A ssoci atio n and
the third from th e Agricultur e D epartment or A yacut Dep artment who
will act as Ad visor.

(b) the memb er sp ecified in su b-cl au se s (i) to (iii) of clau se (a) shall
con stitut e the ge ner al body of the Wat er Users' A ssociation;

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(c) a p er son eligibl e to b eco me a memb er of more th an one territori al

con stitu ency of Wat er User s' Asso ciation un der sub cl au se (i) of cl au se ( a) sh all be
entitled to b e a member of onl y on e t erritorial constituen cy and h e sh all exer ci se
his o ption th er eof;

(d) th e member s specified in su b-cl au se (i) of clause (a) alon e sh all have the
right to vote.

Se ctio n 4 - Managing Co mmitt ee of Wat er U sers' Asso ciatio n-

(1) Ther e shall b e a Man agin g Co mmittee for every Wat er Users'
A sso ci ation, which sh all con si st of a Pr esid ent and o ne member from each of the
territorial constituenci es of th e Wat er Users' Area.

(2) Th e Di strict Col le ctor shall m ake arran gement s for th e election of
President of the Man agin g Co mmittee of t he Wat er U ser s' Asso ci ation b y direct
el ection b y th e method of secret ballot in th e mann er prescrib ed.

(3) The Di strict Collector sh all also cau se arran gement s for th e el ection of
the memb er s of Managin g Co mmitt ee b y the method of secr et bal lot in the man n er
pre scribed.

(4) If th e Man agin g Com mittee of th e Wa ter User s' A ssociation doe s n ot
have a wom an memb er, th e Man agi n g Co mmittee sh all co -o pt a woman as m emb er
who shall ordinaril y b e a resid ent of th e Farm ers' Organi sation ar ea.

Pro vided th at if on th e expir y of th e t erm of the Pr esid ent and the member s
of the Man agin g Co mmittee, a n ew Man agi ng Co mmitt ee is not con stitut ed, the
State Go vern ment m ay by notification, ext end th e t er m of th e Presid ent an d the
member s of th e Man aging Co mmittee onl y o nce for a p eriod of si x month s from the
dat e of expir y, with r eason s for su ch e xt en sion b ein g pl aced on re cord.]

(6) The Man agi ng Committ ee sh all exer ci se the po wer s and p erform the
function s of the Wat er Users' A ssociation .

Se ctio n 5 - D elineation of Dist ributo ry a rea and con st itution of the

Dist ributo ry Co mmit tee-

(1) The St at e Go vernment may, b y notifi cation an d in accord ance with the
rules m ade in thi s be half, delin eate every command ar ea of th e irrigation syst em,
co mprisin g of two or mor e Wat er User s' Asso ci ations, and d ecl ar e it to be a
distributor y area, for the purpose of this Act .

(2) Th er e sh all b e a Distributory Committee call ed b y its local di stinct n ame

for ever y di stributory ar ea d ecl ar ed as such under sub -section (1).

(3) All the Pr esid ent s 8[and the t erritorial con stitu en cy memb ers] of the
Wat er U ser s' A ssociation in the di stributor y ar ea, so lon g as they hold such office,
sh all constitut e the gen eral bod y of th e Distributor y Committ ee in cludin g t wo
nominated offici al members, on e of th em shall be an A ssi st ant En gin eer of 9[the

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Wat er Resources D ep artment or th e Narmada Valle y D evel opment Dep art ment],
who will work as a Co -ordinator b et ween th e vario us d epartments, Wat er Users'
A sso ci ation s and Di st ributory Co mmitt ee, and th e second member will act as an
Advi sor who will be from A griculture or Aya cut D epartment.

Se ctio n 6 - El ection o f Managing Co mmittee of Di st ributo ry Commi ttee-

(1) Th er e sh all b e a Man aging Co mmittee fo r every Di stributory Committ ee.

(2) The Di strict Collector shall cau se arran gement s, in su ch man ner as m ay
be pr escrib ed for th e ele ction by th e m etho d of secr et b allot of t he President, and
Memb ers of th e Man agin g Committee whi ch shall n ot b e more than fi ve from
amon gst th e memb er s of the Gen er al Body o f the Di stributor y Co mmittee.

(3) If the Managin g Committe e of th e Di stributory Committe e do es not ha ve

a w om an m emb er, the Man aging Committ ee shall co-opt a wo man as a m emb er w ho
sh all ordin aril y be a re sid ent of th e Farmer s' Organi sation are a.

(4) The t erm of offi ce of th e Pre sid ent, an d the member s of th e Man agin g
Committee sh all be fi ve years fro m th e d at e of the first meetin g of the Man agin g
Committee.

(5) The Man agi ng Committ ee sh all exer ci se the po wer s and p erform the
function s of the Distri butory Com mittee.

Se ctio n 7 - D elineation of Proj ect a rea and con st ruction of Project Co mmitt ee-

(1) The St at e Go vernment, may b y notifi cation an d in accord ance with the
rules mad e und er thi s A ct in thi s b eh alf, delineat e e ver y command area or p art
thereof, and d ecl are it to be a proj ect ar ea for the purpo ses of thi s A ct.

(2) Th er e sh all b e a Project Committee c alled b y its di stinct n ame for ever y
project area d ecl ar ed as su ch und er sub-section (1).

[(3) [(i) All th e Pr esi dents of the Wat er Users' Asso ci ations of the proj ect
area of major irrigation project s and all the Pre sid ents and t erritorial
con stitu en cy memb ers of th e Wat er U ser s' Asso ci ations of the pr oject
area of medium irri gation proje cts, so lon g as th ey hold su ch office,
sh all constitut e the ge ner al bod y of the Proj ect Committe e.]

(ii) The Project Co mmitte e shall h ave tw o nominat ed memb er s, one of

who m sh all act as Co -ordinator b etween various d ep artment s an d
Far mer s' Asso ci ations and who was b e an Executi ve Engin eer of
Wat er Resource s D epart ment or N arma da Valley D evelopm ent
Dep artment for Majo r Project s or an A ssist ant En gin eer of Wat er
Resour ces D ep artm ent or N armad a Vall ey Develop ment D ep artm ent
for Medium Project s and se cond member w ill act as an advi ser who
will be from th e A griculture Dep art ment. Th e nominat ed me mber shall
not h ave ri ght to vote.]

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Se ctio n 8 - El ection o f Managing Co mmittee for Proj ect ev ery Co mmi tt ee-

(1) Th ere sh all be a Mana gin g Co mmittee for ev ery Project Co mmitt ee.

[(2) (i) The Di strict Collector, sh all cau se arr an gement s in su ch mann er as
may be pr escribed fo r th e el ection b y th e meth od of secr et ballot of
Chairp erson and Managin g Committ ee con sisting of not more th an nine
memb er s fro m amon g st the memb er s of the gen eral bod y of th e Project
Com mittee.

(ii) The Chairp er son an d memb er s of Managin g Co mmittee of Project

Com mittee of Major Project s shall be el ected amon gst th e Presi dent o f
Wat er Users' Associati on, while the Ch airp erson of Mediu m Proj ect shall
be el ected amon gst the Presid ent of Wa ter U ser s' Association and
memb er s of Man agin g Co mmittee of the Medium Proj ect sh all be
amongst Pr esid ent s and T erritorial Con stitu en cy memb er s of th e Wat er
Users' A ssoci ation.]

(3) If th e Man agin g Committee of the Project Co mmitte e does not have a
wom an m emb er, the Man agin g Committe e sh all co -opt a woman as me mber who
sh all ordin aril y be a re sid ent of th e Farmer s' Organi sation are a.

(4) Th e t erm of office of th e Ch airperson an d th e memb er s of th e Man agin g

Committee shall b e fi ve year s from th e d at e of the first m eeting.

(5) The Man agi ng Committ ee sh all exer ci se the po wer s and p erform the
function s of the Proje ct Com mittee.

Se ctio n 9 - Apex Co mmitt ee-

(1) Th e St at e Go vernment ma y, by notification, constitute an A p ex

Committee con si stin g of the followin g Mem ber s, namel y:

(i) The Mini st er Wat er Resources Departmen t Ch airper son.

(ii) Fi ve per so n s from amongst the Ch airp erson of th e Proj ect Com mittee;

(iii) two per so n s from non-go vernm ent or ganisations; and

(2) Th e nu mb er of m emb ers may b e in creased b y su ch nu mb er as m ay b e

con sid ered n ecessar y by th e St at e Go vernme nt.

(3) Th e Committee, constitut ed u nd er sub-section (1) sh all exerci se su ch

power s and fun ction s as may b e ne cessary to .

(a) l ay down th e poli cies for i mpl ementatio n of th e pro vi sion s of this Act;
and

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(b) give such dire ctions to an y Far mer s' Or gani sation as m ay b e con sid er ed
necessary, in exerci si ng th eir po wer s and p erformin g their fun cti ons in
accordance with th e provi sions of thi s Act .

Se ctio n 10 - Pro cedu re f or recall-

(1) A motion for recall of a Ch airp er so n or Pr esid ent or member of a

Mana gin g Committ ee, as th e case may b e, of a Farm ers' Organi sati on may be made
by gi ving a written no tice a s may b e prescri bed , si gned b y not l ess than o ne-third
of th e tot al nu mb er o f member s of th e Farm ers' Or gani sation, who ar e entitled to
vot e :

Pro vided th at no noti ce of motion und er th is section sh all b e made within

one year of th e dat e of a ssumption of of fic e b y the p er son s against who m the
motion i s sou ght to b e moved .

(2) If the motion i s carried with th e support of the t wo-third s majo rity of the
member s present and votin g and h alf of the total numb er of member s of the
asso ci ation, voting at a m eeting of the gener al bod y sp eciall y con ven ed for the
purpo se, th e Di strict Collector or th e St at e Go vernm ent, as th e case may be, shall
by or d er remove hi m from office an d th e vacan cy sh all b e filled in the mann er
sp ecifi ed in Section 1 5.

Se ctio n 11 - Con stitution of Sub-Co mmitt ees in Fa r mers' O rgan isation-

Th e Managin g Comm ittee of a Far mer s' Organi sation m ay con st itute sub -
co mmitt ees to carr y out all or an y of th e fun ction s vest ed in each or gani sation
under this A ct.

Se ctio n 12 - Fa r mers' O rga nisation to b e a body co rporat e-

Ever y Farmers' Or gan isation sh all b e a b ody corporat e with a di stinct n ame
having p erp etual su ccession and a co mmon seal and subject to t he pro vi sions of
this Act vest ed with t he capacity of ent ering into contract s and o f doing all things
necessary, prop er or exp edient for the purp oses for which it i s constitut ed and it
sh all su e and be sued in its corpor at e n ame represent ed b y th e Ch airper son or the
President, as th e case m ay be :

Pro vided that no Far mer s' Organi sation shall have the power to alien ate in
an y man ner, any prop erty vest ed in it.

Se ctio n 13 - Chang es in Fa r mers' O rgani sa tion

Th e St at e Go ver nment may, in th e int erest of a Far mer s' Or gani sat ion in the
co mmand area, b y n otification , and in accordan ce with the rules m ade in this
beh alf.

(a) for m a new Farm ers' Or gani sation by separatin g th e ar ea from an y

Far mer s' Or ganisation;

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(b) incr ease th e area o f an y Far mers' Or gani sation;

(c) di minish th e ar ea o f an y Far mers' Or gani sation;

(d) alt er th e b ound aries of any Farm ers' Organisation; or

(e) cancel a notificatio n issu ed under this A ct for rectif yin g of a ny mist ake :

Pro vided th at no su ch sep ar ation, in cr ease, di minution, alteration or

can cell ation sh all b e effect ed unl ess a r eason able opportunit y is gi ven to the
organi sation lik el y to be aff ect ed.

Se ctio n 14 - Disqu alification s of Candidat es o r Me mbers

(1) No officer or ser vant of th e Go vernment of India or an y Stat e

Govern ment or of a local auth ority or an employee of an y institution recei vin g aid
from th e fund s of th e State Govern ment sh all be q ualified for b eing chosen as or
for bein g a Chairp erso n, or President or a member of a Managin g Committ ee.

(2) No p er so n w ho h as b een con vi ct ed b y a Crimin al Court for any offen ces

invol vin g mor al turpitude sh all be qu alified for bein g chosen as or for bein g a
Ch airp erson or Pre sid ent, or a m emb er of a Man agin g Co mmittee.

(3) A p er son sh all b e disqu alified for bein g cho sen as a Chairp er son or a
President or a m emb er of a Man agin g Com mittee if on th e d at e fixed for scrutin y
of nomin ation s f or election h e is :

(a) of u nsound mind;

(b) an appli cant to be adjudi cated as an insol vent or an und isch ar ged
insol vent; or

(c) a d ef aulter of l and revenu e or wat er t ax or ch ar ges p ayabl e eit her to the
Stat e Go vernment or t o the Far mers' Or ganisation;

(d) inter est ed in a subsisting contract mad e with, or an y w ork b ein g done
for, the Gram Pan ch ayat, J anpad Pan ch ayat, Zila Pan ch ayat or an y
Stat e Go vern ment or Central Go vern ment or the Farmers' Or ganisation
:

Pro vided th at a per so n sh all not b e d eemed to have an y int er est in su ch

contract or work b y r eason onl y of thi s h avi ng share or int erest in.

(i) a company as mer e sh ar e-hold er but not as a Dir ector;

(ii) an y l ease, sal e or purchase of immo vabl e prop ert y or any agreem ent for
the sam e; or

(iii) an y agreem ent fo r the lo an of mon ey or any securit y for the p ayment of
mon ey onl y; or

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(iv) an y n ew sp aper in which an y adverti sem ent r el atin g to the aff airs of the
Farmers' Organisation is in sert ed;

Expl anation.--For the remo val of do ubt s it is her eb y d ecl ared that wh er e a
contract i s full y p erfo rmed it sh all not b e d eemed to b e sub si sting merely on the
grou nd th at th e Gram Pan ch ayat , Janp ad P anch ayat , Zil a Pan ch ayat, th e Farmers'
Organi sation, th e Stat e Go vern ment or Cent ral Go vernme nt has n ot perfor med it s
part of th e contractu al obligation s;

(e) a per son ren d ered landl ess du e to sal e or transf er of land of ar ea or
operation aft er con stitution of Water U ser s' Asso ci ation;

(f) emplo yed in G overn ment or S emi -Go vern ment or gani sation or local
body.

(4) A Chairp erson or a Presid ent or a member of a Man agin g Committee

sh all al so become di squalified to continue in office if he.

(a) absent s fro m thr ee con secutive meetin gs without rea sonabl e ca use;

(b) is a p erson wh o incur s an y of the di sq ualification s mention ed in sub -

section s (1), (2) and (3) an d he sh all cease to hold the offi ce forth with :

Pro vided th at disquali fication und er cl au se ( a) sh all not ap pl y in t he case of

wom en who are in ad van ced stage of pre gn an cy and for a p eriod of three month s
aft er deli ver y.

(5) A memb er of the Wat er U ser s' Asso ci ation or a Ch airp erson or a
President or a memb er of a Managin g Co mmittee sh all b e di sq u alified to continue
in the office, if h e/ sh e ceases to b e a land holder.

Se ctio n 15 - Filling u p of Vacanci es-

(1) A vacan cy ari sing eith er du e to di squ alif ication und er su b-sect ion (4) of
Se ction 14 or du e to death or re si gnation o r b y an y r eason su ch vacan cy sh all be
filled up b y nominatio n in the followin g man ner, nam el y :

(a) a vacan cy in th e Wat er Users' Asso ci at ion shall b e filled, b y nomin ation
by the Man aging Co mmitt ee of th e Distri butory Co mmittee in the mann er
pre scribed;

(b) a vacan cy in the Distributory Committ ee shall b e filled, by Nomin ation

Committee of the Pr oject Com mittee in the manner pr escrib ed;

(c) a vacan cy in the P roject Committee sh al l be filled b y no min at ion b y the

Apex Committ ee in th e mann er prescrib ed; and

(d) a vacan cy in th e Apex Co mmittee shall b e fill ed by th e St at e Governm ent

in the prescribed mann er.

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(2) Th e Distri ct Collector sh all t ak e ne cessary st ep s to con duct election s to

fill up an y vacancy cau sed within a p eriod of one month f rom th e d at e of
occurr en ce of su ch vacancy.

(3) Th e ter m of offi ce of a memb er or a Pre sid ent or a Ch airp er son of a

Farmers' Organi sation , el ect ed u nd er sub -section (2), sh all expi re at th e time at
whi ch it w ould h ave expir ed, if h e h ad been el ect ed at the ordinar y el ection.

Se ctio n 16 Objects-

Th e obj ect s of th e Far mers' Or ganisation sh all be to promot e and secure

distribution of water amon g its u sers; adequ at e m aint en an ce of the irri gation
syste m, effici ent and econo mi cal utilisation of water to opti mise agri cultural
produ ction, to prot ect the environm ent, and to ensure ecolo gi cal b al an ce b y
invol vin g th e farmers, incul catin g a sense of own ership of th e irrigation syst em in
accordance with wat er budget and th e operat ional pl an.

Se ctio n 17 - Function s of Water User s' A ssociation-

Th e Wat er Users' A ssoci ation sh all p erform the followin g fun ctions, nam el y
:

(a) to prep are an d impl em ent a war ab an di sch edul e for each irrigation
sea son, co n sist ent wi th the oper ational plan b ased upon th e entitlem ent,
ar ea, soil and croppin g p att ern as ap pro ved b y th e Di stributor y Committee,
or as th e case may b e, the Project Committ ee;

(b) to prep are a pl an f or the maint en ance of irrigation syst em in t he ar ea of

its oper ation at the en d of each crop season and carry out th e maintenance
work s of both di stributory syst em and minor and fi eld dr ain s in its area of
operation with the fun ds of th e asso ci ation from time to tim e and t o pro vide
funds for th e maint en ance of staff includin g such p ersons who are placed b y
the St at e Go vern ment with the Wat er U ser s' A ssoci ation for th e purpo se of
regul ation an d maintenan ce of irrigation system;

(c) to re gul at e th e use of wat er amon g th e variou s pipe outl et und er it s area
of op er ation ac cording to the w arabandi sch edule of th e syst em;

(d) to promot e ec ono my in the use of w at er allocat ed;

(e) to maint ain a r egi st er of land hold ers as publi shed b y th e r evenue
dep art ment;

(f) to prepar e and mai ntain a regi st er of co -opted memb er s;

(g) to prep are and m aintain an in ventor y of the irrigation syst em within the
ar ea of op er ation;

(h) to monitor flo w of water for irrigation;

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(i) to resol ve th e di sp utes, if an y b etw een the memb er s and wat er user s in its
ar ea of op er ation;

(j) to rai se resour ces;

(k) to maint ain accou nts;

(l) to cau se annu al aud it of its accou nts;

(m) to assi st in the condu ct of ej ection s to t he Man agi n g Committee;

(n) to maint ain other r ecords in su ch manner as may b e prescrib ed;

(o) to abid e b y th e d ecision s of th e Distribut ory and Proj ect Committees;

(p) to condu ct gen eral bod y meetin gs in su ch mann er as ma y b e pr escrib ed;

(q) to condu ct r egular w at er bud getin g and al so to condu ct p eriodical soci al

audit in su ch manner as may b e prescrib ed.

Se ctio n 18 - Function s of the Dist ributo ry Commi ttees-

Th e Di stributory Committ ee sh all p erform th e following function s,

namel y:

(a) to prepar e an op er ation pl an ba sed on its entitlement ar ea, soil, croppin g

patt ern at the b eginning of each irrigation season, con si stent with the
operation al pl an pr ep ared by th e Project Co mmitt ee;

(b) to prep are a pl an f or the maint enance of both di stributories an d m ediu m

drains within it s ar ea of op er ation at th e end of each crop season and
execut e the maint enan ce work s with the funds of th e co mmitt ee from tim e to
time and to provid e funds for th e maint en an ce of st aff in clu ding su ch
per sons who ar e pl aced b y th e St at e Governm ent with th e D istributor y
Committee for th e p urpose of r egul ation and maintenan ce of irrigation
syste m;

(c) to r egul at e th e u se of water amon g the various Wat er User s' A ssociation s
under its area of op eration;

(d) to resolve di sputes, if an y, amon g th e Wat er Users' Asso ci at ions in it s

ar ea of op er ations;

(e) to maintain a r egi st er of Wat er U ser s' Asso ci ations in it s ar ea of

operation s;

(f) to maint ain an in ventor y of th e irrigation syst em in the area of its

operation, in cludin g d rain s;

(g) to promot e ec ono my in the use of w at er allocat ed;

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(h) to maint ain accou nts;

(i) to cau se annu al aud it;

(j) to m aintain oth er records as may be prescrib ed;

(k) to monitor th e flow of water for irrigation;

(l) to con duct gen er al bod y meetin gs in such mann er as m ay be pr escrib ed;

(m) to abid e b y th e d eci sions of the Proj ect Committee;

(n) to c ause r egular b ud geting and al so the periodical so ci al aud it in su ch

mann er as may b e pr escrib ed;

(o) to assi st in th e con duct of el ections to the Man agin g Committee.

Se ctio n 19 - Function s of Proje ct Co mmitt ees-

Th e Proj ect Committee shall perform the fol lowin g fun ctions, n amel y:

(a) to appro ve an o peration al pl an b ased on it s entitlem ent, ar ea, soil,

croppin g p attern as p repared b y th e Co mp etent A uthority in respect of the
entire proj ect ar ea at t he b eginnin g of each i rrigation season;

(b) to approve a pl an for the maint enan ce o f irrigation syst em in cluding the
major drain s within its area of op er ation at the end of each crop season an d
execut e the maint enan ce work s with the funds of th e co mmitt ee from tim e to
time and to provid e funds for th e maint en an ce of st aff in clu ding su ch
per sons who are pl aced b y the St at e Go vernm ent with the Proj ect Committee
for the purpo se of regulation an d m aint en an ce of irrigation syst em;

(c) to m aintain a list of the Di stributory Com mitt ee and Wat er Users'
A sso ci ation s in it s ar ea of oper ation;

(d) to maint ain an in ventor y of th e di stributory and dr ain age syst ems in it s
ar ea of op er ation;

(e) to r esol ve di sput es if an y among th e Di st ributory Co mmitt ees;

(f) to promot e economy in the use of w at er;

(g) to maint ain accou nts;

(h) to cau se annu al au dit of its account s;

(i) to m aintain oth er records in su ch mann er a s may b e pr escribed;

(j) to conduct gen eral bod y meetin gs in su ch mann er as ma y b e p rescrib ed;

and

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(k) to c ause r egular b ud geting and al so the periodical so ci al aud it in su ch

mann er as may b e pr escrib ed.

Se ctio n 20 - Pow er to levy and coll ect f ee-

A Farmers' Organisat ion m ay, for carr yin g out the purpo se s of this Act,
achi eving th e obj ect s of the or gani sation and p erformin g its f unction s, levy and
coll ect f ee as m ay be prescrib ed fro m time to tim e.

Se ctio n 21 - Appointment of Co mp etent Authority and hi s functions-

(1) The St ate Govern ment may, b y notifi cation, ap point su ch o fficer from
the Wat er Re sour ces Department, or an y oth er d epartment, as it consider s
necessary, to be the Compet ent Authority for ever y farmer s' organi sation for the
purpo ses of thi s A ct.

(2) Th e Co mp et ent Authority appoint ed under sub -section (1 ) sh all be

responsible to the r esp ecti ve Far mer s' Organi sation s in th e implement ation and
execution of all d eci sion s t ak en by th e Far mers' Or gani sation in the pr escribed
mann er and sh all provide t echni cal ad vi ce and ensure th at the work is executed in
accordance with th e techni cal par amet er s.

Se ctio n 22 - Re so urces of Fa r mers' Organi sation-

Th e Fun ds of th e Farmers' Or gani sation shall co mpri se of th e followin g

namel y:

(i) grants and co mmi ssion r ecei ved from the Stat e Go vern ment as a shar e of
the water t ax coll ect ed in the are a of o p erati on of the Far mer s' Or gani sation;

(ii) such oth er funds as may b e gr ant ed b y t he Stat e Governm ent a nd Central
Govern ment for th e d evelop ment of the area of operation;

(iii) resour ces r ai sed from an y fin an cing a gen cy for undert aking an y
econ omi c d evel opment acti viti es in it s area of operation;

(iv) in co me from the properti es and assets at tached to th e irrigatio n syst em;

(v) fee s coll ected b y t he Farmers' Organi sat ion for th e servi ces r endered in
bett er man age ment of the irri gation syst em; and

(vi) amount s r ecei ved from an y other sour ces.

Se ctio n 23 - Of fences and P enalties-

Who ever without an y lawful authorit y do es an y of th e followin g act s, th at i s

to say: -

(a) dam ages, alter s, en lar ges or obstru cts any can al;

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(b) interfer es with, in cr eases or dimini sh es the suppl y of water in, or the
flow of wat er fro m, through, o ver or under any can al;

(c) int erferes with or alt er s th e flow of water in any ri ver or str eam, so as to
end anger, d amage or rend er less useful an y can al;

(d) b ein g respon sible for th e maint en anc e of w at er cour se or using w at er

course, n egl ect s to t ake prop er prec aution s for th e pr evention of the w at er
thereof, or int erfer es with th e authori sed distribution of th e w at er ther efrom
or uses such w at er in an un authori sed mann er;

(e) receivin g w at er i n his fi elds for irrigation, n egl ect s to t ake pro p er
pre caution s f or the pr evention of waste of such w at er;

(f) corrupts or foul s t he water of an y canal so as to r ender it less fit for the
purpo ses for whi ch it i s ordinaril y u sed;

(g) b ein g a p erm an ent holder occupi er, cul tivator or agri cultural labour er,
resid ent in a village in whi ch a pro cl amation und er Section 36 of the
Madhya Prad esh Irrigation Act, 1931 (N o. 3 of 19 31) h as b een mad e,
negl ect s to att end at the place appoint ed or refu ses or n egl ect s to carr y out
the d uties allott ed to h im;

(h) de stroys, injuri es, def aces or r emo ve s any l and mark, l evel mark, w at er
gau ge or oth er app ar atus fi xed b y th e authori ty or a Can al Offi cer;

(i) cau ses animal s or vehi cl es to p ass on or a cro ss an y of the works, bank s
or ch annels or any canal after such p assage h as bee n pro hibited by a Canal
Officer;

(j) cau se s or knowin gl y and wilfully p ermits anim al s to gr aze or b e t eth ered
upon th e b ank or bor der of an y canal aft er su ch grazin g or t et hering h as
been prohibit ed b y a Can al Officer;

(k) removes or injures a ny tree, b u sh, gr ass or oth er veget ation g rowing on
an y can al; or

(l) eases him self on the bank s or in th e ch annel of a canal , sh all o n

co mpl aint mad e b y a Far mers' Or gani sation :

(i) be puni shable in r esp ect of offen ces m entioned in clauses (a) to (h), with
impriso nment which may extend to two year s, or with fine w hich sh all not b e l ess
than one thou sand ru pees but which may ext end to five thou san d Rup ees or with
both; and wh en the offen ce i s a continui ng on e, with an additional fin e not
exceedin g tw ent y rup ees for ever y d ay aft er the first during whi ch the offence h as
been p ersi sted in; and

(ii) be puni sh able in respect of off en ces mentioned in cl au ses (a) to (1), with
fine which sh all not be l ess than ru pees five hu ndr ed but whic h ma y ext end to
rupees two thou sand and if the same person is sub sequ ently con vi ct ed for a like

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offen ce h e shall be li able for impri son ment which may ext end to si x month s for
each su ch sub sequ ent convi ction .

Se ctio n 24 - Puni sh ment under other law s not ba rred-

Nothin g in this Act sh all pr event any person from b eing pro secut ed and
punished und er an y ot her l aw for th e time bein g in for ce for any act or omi ssion
mad e pu nish abl e by or und er this A ct:

Pro vided that no p erson sh all b e pro secu ted and punish ed for th e same
offen ce mor e th an on ce.

Se ctio n 25 - Co mposi tion of offences-

(1) A Farmers' Or ganisation may accept from an y per so n who co mmitted or

in resp ect of whom a reason abl e b eli ef can be inf erred that h e has co mmitt ed an
offen ce puni sh able un der thi s A ct or th e Rules mad e th ereund er, a su m of mon ey
not less th an rup ees one tho u sand in case of offenc es m ention ed in cl auses (a) to
(h) of Section 23 and Rs. Fi ve h undr ed for t he offen ces mention ed in cl au ses ( a) to
(1) of Section 23 by w ay of co mpo sition.

(2) On p ayment of su ch su m of mon ey, no fu rther pro ceedin gs sh all be t ak en

again st him/h er in r egard to th e off enc e, so compounded by th e Farmer s'
Organi sation.

Se ctio n 26 - Settle me nt of disput es-

(1) Any di sput e or differen ce tou ching th e constitution, man agement, power s
or function s of a Far mers' Or gani sation ari sin g between m emb ers sh all be
det er mined b y th e Managin g Com mittee of the Farmer s' Or gani sation.

(2) An y su ch disput e or diff erence ari si ng b etw een a memb er an d the

Mana gin g Co mmitte e of a Wat er Users' Associ ation or b et w een t wo or more Wat er
U sers' A ssoci ation s sh all b e d et ermin ed b y the Man agin g Committee of the
Distributory Co mmitt ee.

(3) An y su ch disput e or diff erence ari si ng b etw een a memb er an d the

Mana gin g Co mmittee of a Di stributory Committee or b et ween two or more
Distributory Co mmittees sh all b e d et er mined b y th e Managin g Com mittee of the
Project Co mmitt ee.

(4) An y su ch disput e or diff erence ari si ng b etw een a memb er an d the

Mana gin g Committee of a Project Commi tte e or b et ween two or m ore Pr oject
Committees sh all be det ermin ed by the Ap ex Co mmitt ee, who se deci sion sh all be
final.

(5) Ever y di sput e or differ en ce und er this section sh all b e di spo sed of withi n
fifteen d ays from th e date of ref eren ce of th e di sp ute or differ en ce.

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Se ctio n 27 A ppeal s-

(1) A p arty to a di spute or diff erence agg rieved by an y d eci sio n mad e or
order p assed b y th e Managin g Committee of a Wat er Users' A sso ci ation may ap peal
to the Man agin g Co mmittee of th e Di stribut ory Co mmittee, w ho se decision shall be
final.

(2) A part y to a di sput e or different aggrieve d by an y d eci sion mad e or ord er

passed b y the Managi ng Co mmittee of a Di stributor y Committee may app eal to a
Project Co mmitt ee, wh ose d ecisio n sh all b e f inal.

(3) A p arty to a di spute or diff erence agg rieved by an y d eci sio n mad e or
order p assed b y th e Man agin g Co mmitt ee of a Proj ect Co mmittee may app eal to the
Apex Committ ee, who se d eci sion th ereon sh all b e fin al.

(4) An y ap peal und er su b-section (1) or su b-section (2) or sub-se ction (3)
sh all b e pr ef err ed wit hin 15 da ys of co mmu nication of th e decision or th e ord er to
the p erso n aggri eved.

(5) Ever y app eal under this section sh all be disposed of within 15 days fro m
the d at e of filing of th e ap p eal.

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