Water transport: Kerala govt yet to frame rules to implement central act

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It has been one year since the Central Inland Vessel Act came into force to ensure safe water transport in the country and to eliminate water pollution, but the state government has not framed the necessary rules to implement it. The central law came into force in August 2021.

In the first sub-section of section 44 of the Union Act, it is proposed that the safety standards fixed by the state government should be strictly followed to land the vessels and the vessels should be classified on the basis of safety systems. The second sub-section of this states that the state government should fix the exact guidelines regarding how many people can be admitted in a boat.

The law lays down guidelines such as that the boat should be driven by a qualified person, issue a registration certificate only if the vessel is found to be safe after conducting a survey, suspend the certificate if any violation is found, and display the license number of the boat clearly. The state government is closing in on this without formulating rules to ensure all these.