Travancore-Cochin Irrigation Act, 1956

No: 7 Dated: Oct, 31 1956

TRAVANCORE-COCHIN IRRIGATIon ACT, 1956

Act No. VII of 1956

An Act to provide for the construction, repair and mamtenance of trngatwn works, the conservutwn and dt.stnbution of water for purposes of irngation and the levy of betterment contribution and water cess.

PART I

PRELIMINARY

1. Short title, extent and commencement. -This act may be called the Travancore-Cochin Irrigation Act, 1956. 

(2) It extends to the whole of the State of Travancore Cochin.

(3) It shall come into force on such date as the Government may, by notification, appomt.

2. Definitions:- In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,- 

(1) "Collector" means the Collector of a district;

(2) "contribution" means the betterment contribution requires,-

(3) "irrigation" with its grammatical variations mcludes "drainage" with its corresponding variations;

(4) "Irrigation Officer" means an officer appointed by the Government to perform all or any of the functions of an Irrigation Officer under this Act;

(5) "irrigation work" includes-

(a) all canals, channels, reservoirs and tanks which are intended or which are or may be used for the supply and Rtoragc of water for agri-cultural purposes;

(b) all works, embankments, structures, supply and escape channels connected with such canals, channels, reservoirs or tanks;

(c) all water-courses wh1ch are supphecl with water from such canals, channels, reservOirs or tanks;

(d) all drainage works, that 1s to say, canals, channels, escape channels from a canal, channel, reservoir or tank, dams, weirs, embankments , slUices, groynes or othc1· works for the protection or benefit of agricultural lands or for the reclamation of kole lands, kayal lands, kan lands, or such other lands; and

(e) all lands occupied by the Government for the purposes of such canals, channels, reservoirs, tanks and all buildmgs, machinery, fences, gates and other erections occupied by or belonging to the Government upon such lands;

(6) "landholder" means relation to any land means the person hable to pay to the Government the public revenue due on the land: Provided that in respect of any land comprised m the holding of a kanam tenant m the territory to which the Kanam Tenancy Act, 1955 (XXIV of 1955) extends the kauam tenant and not the jenmi shall be deemed to be the landholder in respect of such land.

(7) "lift irrigation work" means an Irrigation work by which water for irrigation purposes is supplied with the aid of pumping sets or other mechamcal devices;

(8) "major irrigation work" includes hft irrigation work and all irrigation works irrigating or useful for the drainage or protection of an extent of over 200 acres;

(9) "majority of proprietors" means the proprietors of more than one-half of the acreage benefited by an irrigation work;

(10) "minor irrigation work" includes all irrigation works other than major and petty irrigation works;

(11) "notification" means a notification published in the Gazette;

(12) "petty Irrigation work" includes all Irrigation works Irrigatmg or useful for the drainage or protection of an extent of not over five acres;

(13) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act;

(14) "proprietor" means the owner of the land and mcludes the cultivator or person in actual possession of such land.