The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : WUAs' financial power restricted

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 29, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

WUAs' financial power restricted

Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD: The financial power of a water users' association (WUA) has been restricted to Rs 1 lakh per work.

This change has been introduced in view of the large-scale "misuse" of funds in the past when unlimited amount was allowed for a single work tempting the WUAs to concentrate only on work leaving out other four functions -- water distribution, regulation, maintenance of the canal system and ensuring proper farm production.

This was announced by the Major Irrigation Minister, P. Lakshmaiah, at a press conference here on Wednesday on successful completion of elections to the 3,792 WUAs in 10 districts. He said the elections to 2,642 out of them was unanimous -- nearly 75 per cent. Polls were not held only to 131 WUAs, constituting less than 1 per cent.

Nominated members

The Minister said every WUA hereafter would have nominated members but without voting right -- two from gram panchayat (a man and a woman) apart from elected representatives such as MP, MLA and sarpanch. The ZP chairperson would be nominated on the project committee.

He said 50 per cent of the collections out of water cess would be given to WUAs in case of major projects. Those serving minor and medium sources would get 90 per cent of the cess with the balance set aside for gram panchayat.

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Andhra Pradesh