New Delhi, Oct 23 (UNI) By seeking public opinion on its new guidelines for issuance of No Objection Certificate (NOC) for extraction of ground water, the Central Ground Water Authority is testing the waters on a controversial move. The revised guidelines which have been issued within two years of the previous ones, provide for levying a Water Conservation Fee for ground water extraction and allows extraction by food parks and agro industries. The new guidelines provide for different rates of payments for Safe, Semi-critical, Critical and Over-Exploited regions. The different categories for which fee have to be paid include ground water (wells, borewells etc.) use for Drinking and Domestic purposes; Packaged Drinking Water, Distilleries, Breweries, Mineral Water; Industry; Mining and Infrastructure Projects. As per the ground water resource estimates of 2011, out of the 6607 assessed units (Blocks, Mandals, Talukas, Districts), 1071 were over-exploited, 217 were critical and 697 were semi-critical, while 4580 were safe and 92 were saline units across the country. The new guidelines accessed by the UNI say that the NOC for ground water withdrawal will be considered only in cases where the water supply department concerned is unable to supply adequate amount of water in the area. The issuing authority shall be the District Magistrate/Deputy Commissioners, State Ground Water Authority/State Nodal Agency and Central Ground Water Authority based on the category of ground water assessment units and quantum of ground water extraction. The NOC shall become void in case of change in land use of property/water use and it will then become mandatory for the owner to apply afresh for the NOC. In a shift from earlier guidelines, the Authority has now said that a NOC shall be applicable for a prescribed period. NOC shall be renewed for individual households for drinking and domestic use every five years. For infrastructure projects, industries/mines for drinking and domestic use and for Water Supply Agencies, it shall be renewed every three years. In the case of ground water extraction in industry and mines, the NOC shall first be renewed for three years and subsequently every five years. With 85 per cent of wells owned by marginal, small and semi-medium farmers with a land holding of up to four hectares, farmers shall be exempt from obtaining an NOC from the issuing Authority. However, large farmers with landholding of over 10 hectares, will have to adhere to certain norms such as minimizing conveyance losses by adopting underground pipeline system, promotion of sprinkler and drip irrigation systems, crop diversification, use of re-cycled water and go in for dedicated electricity feeder for farm pump sets. UNI GP SDR 2047