Section 5 in The Maharashtra Management of Irrigation Systems by Farmers Rules, 2006
5. Registration of Water Users' Association at Minor Level.
(1)After the area of operation of the Water Users' Association at Minor Level has been delineated under section 6, the holders and occupiers of the land so delineated shall form a Water Users' Association. As soon as the Association is formed, the concerned Canal Officer shall, on verification and identification of the membership of the Water Users' Association call a first General Meeting of all the members so identified by giving proper prior publicity by way of displaying the notice of the said meeting at prominent public places in the area of operation of the Water Users' Association.(2)The notice of the meeting under sub-rule (1) shall be displayed at least seven days prior to the actual date of the meeting.(3)Such meeting shall be presided over by the concerned Canal Officer and the Canal Officer shall inform all the members present therein about the registration of the Water Users' Association. The members present in the meeting shall decide the suitable name for the said Water Users' Association by passing a resolution with majority. The Canal Officer shall enter the said name of the Water Users' Association in the register to be maintained at the office of the Canal Officer in the format specified in Form-I to Annexure-1.(4)The Canal Officer shall display at the prominent places in the area of operation of the Water Users' Association, the name of the Association, its registration number, the date of registration and the area of operation of the Water Users' Association.(5)A register of Water Users' Association shall also be maintained in Form-I to Annexure-1, at the project level by the concerned Canal Officer and also at the River Basin Agency Level by the officer designated in this behalf. A list of duly constituted Water Users' Association shall also be maintained by the Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority and the Water Resources Department of the Government.(6)If, in any area of operation of a Water Users' Association at Minor Level no such Water Users' Association is constituted, the Appropriate Authority shall entrust the functions of such Water Users' Association to any Government agency or Cooperative society or any other Water Users' Association by order in the Official Gazette, till such Association is constituted and functioned. However, in no case such functions shall be entrusted for a period exceeding one year:Provided that, the Appropriate Authority before issuing any such order of entrusting such functions shall ascertain the willingness of such agency or Co-operative Society or, as the case may be, an Association.(7)The provisions of sub-rules (1), (2), (3), (4) and (5) shall, mutatis mutandis, apply for the registration of the Distributory Level Association, Canal Level Association, Project Level Association and Lift Irrigation Water Users' Association.
