WATER TREATMENT PLANT ENTREPRENEURS REGISTERED SOCIETY

(Registered under the Societies Registration Act of 1955)

BYE- LAW

Name:

The Name of the Association shall be WATER TREATMENT PLANT ENTREPRENEURS REGISTERED SOCIETY.

II.Present Office address:

The office address of the Association shall be

Building No. 13/750, Trinity College Building, Opp. Telephone Bhavan, A.C. Road, Cherthala, Kerala, India PIN. 688524.

III.Registered office:

The registered office of the Association shall be at

Building No. 13/750, Trinity College Building, Opp. Telephone Bhavan, A.C. Road, Cherthala, Kerala, India PIN. 688524.

IV.Area of Operation:

The area of operation of the Association shall be

the entire state of Kerala.

V.Aims and Objectives

1. To establish a forum for the welfare, promotion and protection of the general, professional and commercial interest of water treatment plant entrepreneurs and related parties in Kerala.

2. To make representations to governments and other regulatory authorities with regard to legislative and other measures affecting the water treatment industry and to endeavour to resolve the issues of concern.

3. To organize exhibitions/ training camps/workshops/seminars/symposia/ discussions with the aim of enabling the members to keep pace with the

technological advancements in the industry and to promote their professional aptitudes and attitudes.

4. To work for the progress of the water treatment industry, upholding the larger interests of entrepreneurial community threin by responding to the needs arising in the field from time to time.

5. To create a sense of fraternity, co-operation, harmony, love and affection amongst the members and to help them in distress by taking up the measures to alleviate problems.

6. To take up welfare, social, cultural, charitable, humanitarian, and relief activities for empowering the weaker sections of the society by streamlining the quality of their life, irrespective of caste, creed, race, colour, sex or religion.

7. To publish, sell or distribute books, periodicals, illustrated journals, magazines, periodical news letter/ bulletins and the like on no profit- no loss basis for the realization of the objectives of the Association and the advancement of the industry as a whole.

8. To ensure that the activities of the Association are in accordance with the rules and regulations stipulated by the Government from time to time.

9. To cooperate with international agencies, governmental and non-governmental organizations in the country in issues of public interest related to drinking water and public health.

10. To organize awareness activites to sensitize the public on the health significance of pure water on its own or by being a partner in such activities initiated by government and non-governmental agencies.

11. To conceive and implement small scale or large scale water treatment plants for various agencies in such a way that it can provide involvement and benefits for the members of the Association.

12. To give free service to the public by undertaking activities including water purification in the time of disasters of massive impact.

13. To put into practice health and accident insurance schemes for the welfare of

the members of the Association.

14. To promote the scientific studies and research in the field of water treatment and to endeavour to take up such activities on its own.

VI. Organization

1. The association shall have a two-tier organizational pattern with state and district levels.

2. The biennial district general body shall elect a district committee and the district committee shall, in turn, elect the district executive committee.

3. The biennial state general council meeting shall elect a state committee, and the state committee shall, in turn, elect the state executive committee.

4. The members of all the district committees and the state committee shall be the members of the state general council.

VII. State General Council

1. State general council is the supreme sovereign body of the organization.

2. The state committee shall entrust the state executive committee to convene the state general council.

3. The state general counncil is convened annually, half yearly or specially by the state executive committee on behalf of the state committee.

4. The venue and time and agenda of the general council meeting shall be decided by the state committee in advance.

5. The state general council shall have power as well as duty to formulate policies and rectify the existing policies, and design and guide the future activities of the association.

6. The power to elect members of the new state committee is vested in the state general council.

7. The state general council shall act as the appellate body in matters regarding disciplinary actions taken against individual members or committees.

VIII. State Committee

1. The state committee shall be constituted by the members elected by the state general council. The tenure of the state committee shall be 2 years.

2. The state committee shall organize the state-wise activities, take up the state level issues connected to the association and supervise all the activities in the entire jurisdiction of the organization by providing guidance and directions.

3. The minimum number of members of the state committee shall be 25.

IX. Powers & Functions of State Committee

1. The state committee shall conceive and implement suitable and beneficial action plans in conformity with the objectives laid down by this bye-law, and the policies and deliberations of the state general council.

2. The state committee shall have powers to elect the state executive committee.

3. It is entitled to collect money and other resources from membership fee, membership renewal fee and annual subscription, and donations and other incomes for organizational work.

4. The powers to fix the membership fee, membership renewal fee and annual subscription are vested in it.

5. It shall have the duty to facilitate and maintain staff, furniture and other necessary infrastructure for the state committee office.

6. The state committee shall induct or remove members of the Association, subject to articles of this by-law.

7. It shall have the powers to open and operate bank account on behalf of the Association.

8. The committee has the powers to engage lawyers, auditors, scientists or trainers and pay their remuneration as agreed.

9. It is entitled to exercise its powers to settle dispute of any nature within the organization.

10. The state committee shall hold its meeting at least once in two months for reviewing the activites carried out and planning the future activities.

X. State Executive Committee

1. The state committee at its first meeting shall elect from among its members an Executive Committee for a term of 2 years.

2. The minimum number of members in the state executive committee shall be 12.

3. The state executive committee shall consist of the office bearers such as President, General Secretary, Two Vice Presidents, Two Secretaries and Treasurer, and the executive members.

4. The day to day administration of the association shall be executed by the state executive committee.

5. All the decisions taken by the state committee shall be carried out by the state executive committee.

6. The state executive committee is accountable and responsible to the state committee for any action taken on its own during the period between two consecutive state committee meetings.

7. The zonal supervision, and the daily administration of the state committee office should be delegated to state secretaries. The organizational duties may also be delegated to the executive committee members who are not office bearers.

XI. State President

1. The president shall be the association’s supreme executive and preside over every meeting of the state committee, state executive committee and state

conference.

2. The president shall have the power and duty to guide the general secretary and other office-bearers at any level in the organization.

3. The state executive committee shall consult the president in its activities.

4. The President is responsible for overall administration of the association and shall supervise all of its activities.

5. The President shall be committed to strengthening and developing the association, and to leading it to a qualitative functioning.

XII. State Vice-Presidents

1. The Vice-Presidents shall extend their complete co-operation to the President in

exercising the latter’s duties in order to realise the objectives of the association.

2. During the absence of president due to long leave, resignation and death, Vice President shall act as President temporarily with all the presidential powers.

3. The vice-president shall preside over the meeting of the state committee, state executive committee, and state annual/special/extraordinary conferences, and execute leadership role in the association’s daily activities including bank transactions in the absence of the president.

4. In the case of more than one Vice-Presidents, the president or the executive committee can engage any one vice-president to act in the absence of the president. The duties of the president may also be shared between the vice- presidents, in such situations.

XIII. State General Secretary

1. The General Secretary shall convene the meeting of the state conference, state committee and state executive and conduct them with an agenda fixed in consultation with the president.

2. The keeping of minutes of the committee meetings with

signatures of the members present shall be the duty of the general secretary. The general secratay shall present working report at each such meeting and get it passed.

3. The General Secretary shall be the custodian of all records, minutes, registers and any other documents of the association and protection of documents of movable and immovable properties of the association, bank documents, seal of the association, the correspondence of the association including that with governments.

4. The General Secretary shall be responsible for the day to day administration of the association. He/she shall have powers to receive cheques and donations on behalf of the association.

5. The General Secretary shall be responsible for keeping all the account books and all other registers belonging to the association.

6. The General Secretary is solely responsible for the proper functioning of the executive committee.

7. The General Secretary shall be the custodian of the seal, cheque books, bank deposit receipts, bank documents, pass book etc., of the association, and responsible for their use.

8. The financial transactions to be initiated by the general secretary should be executed in consultation with the president and the treasurer.

9. The General Secretary shall bring to the notice of the executive committee any of the association’s business communication with other organizations.

10. In consultation with the president, the general secretary shall also prepare an agenda of all the meetings and serve notice of the meeting to the members concerned.

11. The general secretary shall be responsible for dealing with any state level legal cases related to the association.

XIV. State Secretaries

1. The State Secretaries shall assist the General Secretary and perform such duties as may be assigned by the state executive committee.

2. In the absence of General Secretary due to long leave, resignation and other

forms of absence, one of the state secretaries as engaged by the general secretary or the state executive committee shall assume temporarily the duties of the General Secretary.

XV. State Treasurer

1. The state treasurer shall execute the association’s financial matters jointly with the state president and the state general secretary.

2. The Treasurer shall keep the accounts of the income and expenditure, and financial records of the state committee.

3. The Treasurer jointly with the general secretary shall get the accounts duly audited, and present the auditor’s statement and report before the committee for approval.

4. The Treasurer shall give complete support and co-operation to the auditor by providing accurate information, necessary books and relevant documents for the audit work.

XVI. District Conference

1. All the association members in a district shall be members of a district general body.

2. The district committee through its executive committee shall convene the annual, biennial, half-yearly, special district body meetings.

3. The venue, time and agenda of the general body meeting shall be decided by the district committee in advance.

4. The district general body shall chalk out district level activities and projects.

5. The district general body shall elect members to the new district committee.

XVII. District Committee

1. The district committee shall be constituted by the members elected by the district general body. The minimum strength of the district committee is 15.

2. The district committees shall organize and implement activities in their respective districts, in conformity with the directions of the state committee.

3. The tenure of the district committee shall be 2 years.

4. The district committee should collect money and other resources in order to organize the district level activities of the association by availing the district share of membership fee, membership renewal fee and annual subscription, and donations and other incomes.

5. The district committee shall facilitate and maintain staff, furniture and other necessary infrastructure for the district committee office.

6. The district committees shall organize the campaigns for induction of new members and membership renewal in their respective districts.

7. The district committee shall hold its meeting at least once in a month.

XVIII.District Executive Committee

1. The district committee shall elect the executive committee from among its members. The minimum number of members in the executive committee is 7.

2. The district executive committee shall comprise the office bearers such as president, vice president, secretary, joint secretary,treasurer and other executive members.

3. The district executive committee shall be elected for a period of 2 years at the first meeting of the district committee under the supervision of the state committee.

4. The powers and duties of the district office bearers shall be as same as those of state office- bearers. Their jurisdiction shall be limited to their respective districts.

5. The district executive committee shall open and operate a joint bank account in the name of district president, secretary and treasurer.

XIX. Membership

1. Any Indian citizen who is an entrepreneur in water treatment enterprise, and not below the age of 18 years, can become a member of this association, provided he/she pledges, having read the by-law of the association, that

he/she shall abide by the by-law and the decisions taken by the association from time to time.

1(a). The applicant should be a registered water treatment entrepreneur, working in Kerala.

2. Any interested person, eligible as per the above clauses (1) and 1(a), can apply for the membership in a prescribed form furnishing essential demographic and professional/commercial particulars along with GST number or any valid proof of entrepreneurship. The state committee shall consider the request and, if satisfied, grant membership.

3. The validity of a membership shall be for one year. Though one can apply for and get membership at any time during a financial year, the membership will come to naught by 31st March. If the member wants to continue the membership, it should be renewed before the mid of April.

4. The membership fee, membership renewal fee and annual subscription shall be fixed by the state committee from time to time.

5. The campaign for new membership and membership renewal should be completed by first weeks of April.

XX. Cessation of Membership

The State Executive committee shall have the powers to expel a member from the membership. It should get approval for such decision from the very next meeting of the state committee. The reasons for cessation of membership are:

a. The death of the member person

b. Duly submitted resignation letter,

c. Evidence of involvement in any anti-social activities,

d. Conviction by a court of law,

e. Breach of the association’s aims and objects, and acting against decisions of committees.

XXI. Quorum

The quorum for the state and district level committees and state general council shall be 1/3rd of the total strength of the respective body. But the quorum for the district general body meeting shall be 1/4th of its total strength.

XXII. Financial Matters

1.Income

a. The main source of income of the association shall be membership fee, membership renewal fee,annual subscription and donations.

b. The income from membership fee, membership renewal fee and annual subscription received from each district should be divided equally between the state and respective district committee.

c. The expense for the indigenous activities and projects initiated by the state committee or district committe may be raised through donations from well- wishers and the genral public.

d. The fund raising by district mommittees on their own shall have the approval of the state committee.

2. Bank Account

a. State committee and district committees shall open and operate bank accounts on their own.

b. The President and General Secretary and treasurer shall jointly operate bank accounts on behalf of the state committee.

3. Audit of Accounts

a. The state committee and district committees shall appoint an internal audit committee consisting of at least two persons from among their members to audit the accounts of every financial year.

b. The state and district committees shall appoint a professional external auditor to have the accounts audited for every financial year.

c. The income-expenditure accounts along with internal and external audit reports for the current financial year should be submitted for approval of the committees and annual conferences.

d. The executive committee at each level shall have joint accountability for the income-expenditure account for the current financial year.

XXIII.Records

1. The records such as membership register, receipt book, voucher book, ledger, cash book, stock register, notice book, minutes book, membership fee register and office stationary register should be kept and maintained at state and district levels.

2. The records such as cash book, bill book, receipt books, and cheque books should be under the joint custody of the general secretary and the treasurer at the state level, and of the secretary and the treasurer at the district level.

XXIV. Elections

1. The elections at each level of the association should be held by following the democratic principles.

2. Elections shall be conducted to state and district level committees in the association in every two years.

3. The district committee shall be elected from the biennial district general body, and the district executive committee from the newly elected district committee.The state committee shall be elcted from the biennial state general council, and the state executive committee from the newly elected state committee.

4. The tenure of each elected body shall be two years. But, the committees may have the right to resign from power before completing the tenure.

5. The district general body should be convened in the second half of the month of April and the state general council in the month of May.

6. The state committee shall supervise the elections to the bodies at the district level. A representative of the state committee shall supervise as returning officer at such elections.

7. The existing state committee shall appoint one of its senior most members,

who is not a contestant in the ensuing election, as the returning officer for the elections at the state level. The returning officer shall declare the elections at least one month in advance and receive the nominations. After the scrutiny of the nominations as envisaged by this bye-law, the candidates to the elections should be notified before ten days of the elections.

8. The state committee shall appoint any four members of the association to assist the returning officer in execising his duties in the lections to the state committee.

9. The election to the state executive committee, that is, to the posts of presedent, general secretary, vice-presidents, secretaries, treasurer and other executive members shall be conducted under the supervision of a returning officer appointed by the newly elected state committee.

10. The mode of voting, either secret ballot or open voting, may be decided by the returing officer in accordance with the situation prevailing.

11. The member who has not taken membership in the association one month before the last date of submitting the nomination, shall not have eligibility to contest in the elections to any of the bodies in the association.

12. The outgoing committee members shall be eligible for contesting again in elections.

13. The returning officer shall declare the result of the election to the state committee at the state biennial conference itself.

14. The expense of election to the state committee should be met by the state committee.

15. Any member of association shall not be entitled to be an office-bearer of two committees in the association simultatneously.

16. In the case of a vacancy due to death and resignation of a committee member, such a vacancy shall be filled through cooption by the committee concerned.

XXV. The Seal

1. The association shall have a common official seal carrying a unique emblem and the name of the association, conceived and designed by the state

executive and adopted by the state committee.

2. The state committee shall have power, from time to time, to substitute the seal in vogue with a new one.

XXVI. The Flag & Emblem

The association shall have an official flag, horizontal in shape, 2x3 in size and seablue in colour with a white segment in the middle showing the emblem of the association.

XXVII. Amendments

These Rules and Regulations and any Rules and Regulations made hereafter by the association from time to time may be varied, added to or revoked at a state conference of the association by a resolution passed by a 3/4th majority of the votes of its total members entitled to vote. The amendments to be carried out shall be subject to the provisions under section 12 of the Societies Registration Act of 1955.

XXVIII. Disciplinary Actions

1. The association shall excercise powers to take disciplinary action against the member who dare to violate the rules and regulations of the association and act with a motive of destroying its reputation.

2. Censure, suspension, and dismissal shall be the three forms of the disciplinary action initiated by the association.

3. Prior to the disciplinary procedures, a show-cause notice shall be served to the member accused. The committee concerned shall consider the explanation of the accused in person or in writing.

4. The person or persons against whom the disciplinary action has been taken shall have the right to move a review petition to the committee concerned or/and an appeal to the higher bodies including the state conference.

XXIX. Dissolution

In case of winding up or dissolution of the association, if there remains, after satisfaction of all its debts and liabilities, any property whatsoever, the same shall be given or transferred to some other registered institutions having objectives similar to the objectives of the Association, or to the Government

as determined by the members of association.

XXX. Date of Effect

These rules and regulations will take effect from the date of registration in the Office of the District Registrar of Societies.