Constitution of Farmers' Organisation

(1) The Government may, by notification and with effect from such date as may be specified therein, constitute Water Users Associations in any irrigation system having a command area of not less than 200 hectares, for such number of villages or such area as the Government may specify in this behalf: Provided that the initial constitution of the Water Users Association for the existing irrigation system may be made by the District Collector having jurisdiction over the area. (2) The Government may, by notification and with effect from such date as may be specified therein, constitute Distributary Committees in any irrigation system having a command area of not less than 5000 hectares, by combining such number of Water Users Associations as the Government may deem fit. (3) The Government may, by notification and with effect from such date as may be specified therein, constitute a Project Committee for every major irrigation project having a command area of 200 hectares or more, by combining such number of Distributary Committees as the Government may deem fit. (1) The District Collector, may by notification and in accordance with the rules made under this Act, in this behalf, delineate every command area in consultation with the farmers who are proposed beneficiaries under each of the irrigation systems and on a hydraulic basis which may be administratively viable; and declare it to be a water users' area for the purpose of this Act: Provided that any water users' area in minor, medium & major irrigation system shall not exceed 2000 hectares; Provided that for the command area under the minor and lift irrigation systems, the entire command area may, as far as possible form a single water users' area; Provided further that for minor irrigation system including, irrigation systems comprising more than one minor scheme a Water Users' Association may be formed with an area of two hundred hectares and above, and to the extent possible; (1) The District Collector, may by notification and in accordance with the rules made under this Act, in this behalf, delineate every command area in consultation with the farmers who are proposed beneficiaries under each of the irrigation systems and on a hydraulic basis which may be administratively viable; and declare it to be a water users' area for the purpose of this Act: Provided that any water users' area in minor, medium & major irrigation system shall not exceed 2000 hectares; Provided that for the command area under the minor and lift irrigation systems, the entire command area may, as far as possible form a single water users' area; Provided further that for minor irrigation system including irrigation systems comprising more than one minor scheme a Water Users' Association may be formed with an area of two hundred hectares and above, and to the extent possible; Provided further that there may be one Water User Association for more than one Minor Scheme when the aggregate command area of such schemes is less than 200 ha and are located next to each other or, are at reasonable distance from one another; (2) The modifications of delineated Water Users Association Area in sub-section (1) shall be notified by the District Collector and would be based on recommendations made by the Canal Officer in Charge of irrigation project and such canal officer shall arrive at the recommendation made in this regard only after consultation with the farmers who are proposed beneficiaries under such Schemes; (3) Every Water Users Associations' Area shall be divided into territorial constituencies which shall be up to ten in minor irrigation systems and twelve in major and medium irrigation systems: Provided that there is no necessity of formation of ten territorial constituencies for constituting a Water Users' Association in cases of commanded area of less than two hundred hectares and no necessity of formation of any territorial constituency in case of Lift Irrigation Water Users' Association.