Chapter IV CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE OF FIELD CHANNELS

The alignment of any field channel and technical specification thereof shall be the responsibility of the Government.

The maintenance of field channels and the conveyance of water through them shall be the responsibility of the owners of the lands benefited by such channels:

Subject to section 16, every water users association formed under section 49 shall be bound to maintain field channels, within their respective area of operation, fit for the conveyance of water.

Where the land owners fail to maintain field channels and the Irrigation Officer is satisfied that maintenance of field channels is necessary for proper irrigation of lands of such owners, he shall by notice, require the land owners concerned to maintain field channels within such time and in such manner as may be specified in the notice.

(1) The Irrigation Officer shall, in consultation with the beneficiaries or local authority, determine suitable alignment of field channels, mark out the land which, in his opinion, is necessary for the construction thereof and shall forthwith publish in such manner a notice in such form and containing such particulars as may be prescribed. (2) The Irrigation Officer shall arrange for the publication of the notice in the village or villages and in the office of the local authority in which, such land is situated and serve the notice on the owners of the land mentioned therein. (3) After the service of the notice by the Irrigation Officer as required by sub-section (2), he may require the land owners to intimate within one month from the date of service of the notice whether they desire to carry out the work by themselves and; if so, he may obtain an undertaking from each land owner specifying the date within which the work is to be completed and such other particulars as may be prescribed. (4) Where the land owners do not desire to carry out the work or fail to carry out the work or the remaining work within the time specified in the undertaking as the case may be, the work shall be carried out or caused to be carried out by the Irrigation Officers. (5) The work or the remaining part of the work, as the case may be, carried out or caused to be carried out by the Irrigation Officer under sub-section (4) shall be deemed to have been carried out by him with the consent of the land owners.