He told reporters after a meeting with representatives of such societies, that membership in these cooperatives would be mandatory. Though these societies came into being more than ten years ago, their functioning was not up to the mark, he said.
There are a total of 2,557 such societies, including 1,604 registered with the Water Resources Department.
Bommai said a team of officials visited Maharashta, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh to study functioning of such societies there.
It has now been decided to give such societies grants equivalent to the user charges they collect, as an incentive, he said, adding, Finance Department's nod has been sought for implementing this measure.
Efforts would be made to make these societies economically self-sustaining by allowing them to take up multiple-activity and earn additional income by venturing into fisheries and nurseries, Bommai said.
He said Executive Engineer of respective areas would be made accountable for their effective functioning.
