The Union Cabinet on Wednesday gave the nod to the Inland Vessels Bill, 2021, which will replace the Inland Vessels Act, 1917.
“Total 4,000 km inland waterways have been operationalised. The Bill will regulate safety, security and registration of inland vessels,” tweeted Shipping Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.
A key feature of the Bill is a unified law for the entire country, instead of separate rules framed by the States. The certificate of registration granted under the proposed law will be deemed to be valid in all States and Union Territories, and there will be no need to seek separate permissions from the States
The Bill provides for a central data base for recording the details of vessel, vessel registration, crew on an electronic portal. It requires all mechanically propelled vessels to be mandatorily registered. All non-mechanically propelled vessels will also have to be enrolled at district, taluk or panchayat or village level.
