In this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context,-
(i) 'Beneficiary' means, in respect of any water supply scheme, any local authority for the time being deriving, or which is to derive, benefit from such scheme;
(ii) 'Consumer' means a person who takes water from a beneficiary to whom a water supply scheme may be entrusted or who takes water from a water supply scheme managed directly by the Government;
Explanation.-Consumer does not include a beneficiary.
(iii) 'Co-operative society' means a society registered or deemed to be registered under the provisions of the Himachal Pradesh Co-operative Societies Act, 1956, (13 of 1956), or the Punjab Co-operative Societies Act, 1961, (25 of 1961) as in force in the areas added to Himachal Pradesh under section 5 of the Punjab Re-organisation Act, 1966, (31 of 1966).
(iv) 'Official Gazette' means the Rajpatra, Himachal Pradesh;
(v) 'Government' or 'State Government' means the Government of Himachal Pradesh;
(vi ) 2 ['Gram Panchayat', Panchayat Samiti' and 'Zila Parishad' have the meanings respectively assigned to these expressions
1. For Statement of Objects and Reasons see the Rajpatra, Himachal Pradesh (Extraordinary), dated 19 th March, 1983, p. 341.
2. Substituted for the words sign and figures ‘Gram Panchayat', Panchayat Samiti' and 'Zila Parishad' have the meanings respectively assigned to these expressions in the Himachal Pradesh Panchayati Raj Act, 1952 (6 of 1953), or the Pradesh Punjab Gram Panchayat, 1952 (4 of 1953) or the Punjab Panchayat Samitis and Zila Parishads Act, 1961 (3 of 1961)” by A.O. 1973.
THE HIMACHAL PRADESH WATER SUPPLY ACT, 1968 3 in the Himachal Pradesh Panchayati Raj Act, 1968 (19 (of 1970);]
(vii) 'Local authority' means a co-operative society, gram panchayat, panchayat samiti, zila parishad, municipal committee or any other authority entrusted by the Government with the development or control or management of a water supply scheme;
(viii) ‘Municipal Committee' and 'Notified Area Committee' have the meanings respectively assigned to these expressions in 1 [the Himachal Pradesh Municipal Act, 1968 (19 of 1968)];
(ix) 'Prescribed' means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
(x) 'Rural area' means the whole of the territories of Himachal Pradesh with the exclusion of the urban area;
(xi) 'Schedule' means schedule to this Act
(xii) 'Scheme' means a water supply scheme initiated under section 3
(xiii) 'Urban area' means the towns specified in the schedule;
2 [(xiv) 'Water rate' means the charge for the time being levied by the Government under section 5 or by the local authority under sub-section (2) of section 6.]