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Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act, 1983 (Act No. 43 of 1983)

16. Regional conservation committees

 

(1) The Minister may establish in respect of any region determined by him, a committee to be known as a regional conservation committee.

 

(2) A regional conservation committee so established in respect of a particular region shall—
(a) advise every conservation committee in the region concerned on matters regarding the conservation of the natural agricultural resources;
(b) advise the department and the advisory board on any matter arising from the application of this Act or a scheme in the region concerned, or which it may deem necessary in order that the objects of this Act may be achieved in that region; and
(c) perform such other duties as may be imposed upon it by the Minister.

 

(3)
(a) The members of a regional conservation committee shall be appointed by the Minister and shall consist—
(i) of the regional director of the region concerned and an officer of the department under the control of that regional director;
(ii) subject to the provisions of paragraph (b), of two representatives of each particular area within the region concerned which the department considers to be a subregion of that region; and
(iii) one representative of each provincial agricultural union the area of which forms part of the region concerned.
(b) For the purposes of paragraph (a)(ii) the Minister may, if he deems it expedient, appoint one additional representative of any particular subregion as a member of a regional conservation committee.
(c) The members referred to in paragraphs (a)(ii) and (b) shall be appointed by the Minister from a list of names consisting of the names of at least four members of the conservation committees within each subregion, and who are recommended for such appointment by the regional director concerned after consultation with the provincial agricultural union concerned.
(d) A member referred to in paragraph (a)(iii) shall be nominated by the provincial agricultural union concerned to serve on the regional conservation committee concerned.
(e) Whenever the appointment of a member referred to in paragraph (a)(iii) becomes necessary, the regional director concerned shall request the provincial agricultural union concerned in writing to submit its nomination to him within a specified period.
(f) If a provincial agricultural union fails to comply with such request within the specified period, the said regional director may nominate any person whom he deems fit in the place of the person required to be nominated, for appointment as a member of the regional conservation committee concerned.

 

(4)
(a) A member referred to in subsection (3)(a)(ii) or (b) shall hold office for the unexpired portion of the period for which he has been appointed as a member of a conservation committee.
(b) the member referred to in subsection (3)(a)(iii) shall hold office for such period, not being more than five years, as the Minister may determine at the time of the appointment of the member.
(c) A member referred to in subsection (3)(a)(ii) or (iii) or (b) may at the expiration of his term of office by effluxion of time be reappointed.
(d) A member of a regional conservation committee shall vacate his office if—
(i) he has absented himself from two consecutive meetings of the regional conservation committee without the leave of the committee;
(ii) in the case of a member referred to in subsection (3)(a)(i), he ceases to be regional director of the region concerned or officer under his control;
(iii) in the case of a member referred to in subsection (3)(a)(ii) or (b), he ceases to be a member of a conservation committee;
(iv) he tenders his resignation in writing to the chairman of the regional conservation committee; or
(v) the Minister, if in his opinion sufficient reasons exist therefor, terminates his membership of the regional conservation committee.
(e) A vacancy on a regional conservation committee arising in terms of paragraph (d) or as a result of the death of a member, shall be filled by appointment in the manner in which the member who vacated his office or died, was required to be appointed.
(f) A member who is appointed by virtue of paragraph (e) shall hold office for the unexpired portion of the period for which the member who vacated his office or died, was appointed.

 

(5) The officers referred to in subsection (3)(a)(i) shall be the chairman and vice-chairman, respectively, of the regional conservation committee to which they have been appointed.

 

(6)
(a) A regional conservation committee shall meet as often and at such times and places as the chairman may determine.
(b) The majority of the members of a regional conservation committee shall constitute a quorum for a meeting of that regional conservation committee.
(c) The chairman or in his absence the vice-chairman of a regional conservation committee shall preside at all meetings of that regional conservation committee at which he is present.
(d) The person presiding at a meeting of a regional conservation committee shall determine the procedure at that meeting.

 

(7) The provisions of section 15(7) and (8) shall mutatis mutandis apply to a regional conservation committee.

 

(8) The secretarial and administrative work incidental to the performance of its functions by a regional conservation committee shall be performed by an officer of the department under the control of the regional director concerned.

 

(9) Members of a regional conservation committee who are not in the full-time service of the State may in respect of their services as such members be paid out of moneys appropriated by Parliament for this purpose, such allowances as the Minister may with the concurrence of the Minister of Finance determine.