UP’s water regulatory commission has chairman but no members since inception in 2014

The Uttar Pradesh Water Management and Regulatory Commission (UPWMRC), has been lying almost defunct since its inception in 2014 even as the state celebrated the World Water Day on Monday, people in the know of things said

The Uttar Pradesh Water Management and Regulatory Commission (UPWMRC), has been lying almost defunct since its inception in 2014 even as the state celebrated the World Water Day on Monday, people in the know of things said. The commission is entrusted with important functions, including regulating water usage for various purposes.

HT Image

It took four years for the commission to get its first chairman in 2018. He will demit office after completing his extended term on March 31, having ploughed a lonely furrow for around two-years-and-a-half with no other member or regular staff to assist him.

The otherwise independent commission operates from the irrigation department’s three-room “borrowed” building in the Telibagh area here and has no member, no secretary and no staff of its own.

“It is true the UPWMRC has no member and secretary to assist the chairman,” commission chairman and retired IAS officer Susheel Kumar said.

“Though I took the help of the State Water Resources Agency’s (SWRA) technical staff from time to time, it would have certainly been better if the commission had its members and other staff too,” he added.

Kumar, a 1982-batch IAS officer, was appointed the commission chairman in July 2018 after he retired as secretary, coal the same year. His appointment as the first chairman came around four years after the state government issued a gazette notification providing for setting up of a water commission under the amended “The Uttar Pradesh Water Management and Regulatory Commission Act, 2014”.

The Act mandated the government to set up a full-fledged commission, comprising a chairman and members, not exceeding five, within three months from the commencement of the Act that came into being in March 2014 with issuance of the gazette notification.

According to the Act, one member shall be expert in the field of water resources, one in the field of water resources economy, one in drinking water and wastewater management, one in agriculture/land management and one in the field of water tubewells/pump canals/ground water exploration and studies/minor irrigation works.

“But the commission does not even have clerical staff of its own and has to depend on the SWRA for the same, leave alone appointment of members, and this has badly defeated the purpose for which the commission was set up. The commission could not discharge important functions assigned to it due to the lack of expert members,” said an irrigation department staffer working in the commission.

The same Act also provides that the government would appoint chairman and members on the selection committee’s recommendations and the selection committee will be headed by the chief secretary and consist of eight other members, including the agriculture production commissioner and industrial infrastructure development commissioner.

“Under the law, the commission has nothing to do with the appointment of members. I, as a chairman, could only request the government to fill the vacancies and this I did,” Kumar said.

He said the government had initiated the process of filling all the vacant posts of members.

“They have invited fresh applications for the vacant posts of members as well as the chairman’s post that is going to be vacant,” he said, hoping that a full-fledged commission might be in place soon.

Additional chief secretary (irrigation) T Venkatesh, who is responsible for facilitating the process between the government and the selection committee for appointment of members and the chairman, could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.

MAIN FUNCTIONS ASSIGNED TO THE COMMISSION UNDER THE LAW

To fix and regulate water tariff system and charges for surface and sub-surface water used for agricultural, domestic, industrial and other purposes.

To determine and regulate the distribution of entitlement for various categories, periodically review and monitor the water sector costs and revenue.

To determine the rate of cess charged from owners of land benefitted by flood protection and drainage work, help government form policies for sustainable management of water resources.

To determine the allocation and distribution of entitlements for various sectoral water requirement, as per the state water policy.

To promote competition, efficiency and economy in the activities of the water wastewater sector to minimise wastage of water, and enforce decisions and orders issued under the Act.