91. Local self-governance.— (1) The State Government may authorise any of its department (herein
in this Chapter referred to as the authorised department) to administer and implement the provisions of
this Chapter.
(2) The office of the authorised department shall be located at such places which are accessible to
owners, operators of non-mechanically propelled inland vessel and service users of such vessels.
(3) The offices of the authorised department shall in the order of hierarchy of power, be at district,
taluk and panchayat or village level, or any other hierarchy as may be prescribed by the State
Government, and shall exercise the powers and functions as may be prescribed by that Government,
which shall include the powers and functions to—
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(a) enrol the non-mechanically propelled inland vessel under this Chapter;
(b) collate data with regard to the non-mechanically propelled inland vessel enrolled under this
Act and report it to the higher authority in the hierarchy of power;
(c) administer the welfare fund constituted under this Chapter in accordance with such authority
and obligation;
(d) advise and conduct awareness programmes for assisting the owners, operators or service users
of non-mechanically propelled inland vessel enrolled under this Act; and
(e) perform such other functions as may be assigned under this Act or the rules made thereunder.
92. Obligation to enroll.—(1) The owner or operator may enrol, by submitting the details of the
ownership of non-mechanically propelled inland vessel, undertaking that the vessel is put into motion by
solely employing human labour and such other details as may be prescribed by the State Government, at
the office of the authorised department, which is located nearest to the place of residence of the owner or
area of plying of the non-mechanically propelled inland vessel, in such form and manner as may be
prescribed by the State Government.
(2) The form prescribed by the State Government under sub-section (1) shall be published in the
respective vernacular language, apart from Hindi or English, as the case may be.
(3) For the purposes of identification and categorisation of non-mechanically propelled inland vessels,
to be enrolled in accordance with the provisions of sub-section (1), the State Government shall publish
such criteria for categorisation which may include the size, purpose of employment, age, construction,
design or such other criteria of the vessels.
(4) The enrolment of non-mechanically propelled inland vessels shall be a prerequisite for such
vessels to be entitled for the benefits and preferential treatment accorded under this Chapter.
(5) The details of the enrolled vessels shall be recorded in the registry of enrolment and be reported
by the offices of lowest order in the hierarchy of power to the highest hierarchy and the collated list of
enrolled vessels shall be maintained by the office of District Magistrate or such officer appointed or
authorised under this Chapter, for the said purpose.
(6) The State Government shall maintain a central data base to record the details of the nonmechanically propelled inland vessel enrolled within the respective jurisdiction, in such form and manner
as may be prescribed by it.
(7) The lowest ranking officer of the office of the authorised department shall report of any change to
the registry of enrolment maintained by him and bring to the notice of the authority higher in the
hierarchical order, and the changes shall be brought out accordingly, in every such register maintained by
the respective authorities including the central data base maintained by the Principal Secretary or
Secretary of the State Government.
93. Certificate of enrolment and marking of vessel.— (1) The officer of the authorised department
appointed or authorised to maintain the registry under this Chapter, shall issue a certificate of enrolment
to the non-mechanically propelled inland vessels that have enrolled in the registry of enrolment.
(2) The certificate of enrolment shall be issued, in such form and manner as may be prescribed by the
respective State Government, and details to be specified in such certificate shall include—
(a) name, permanent address as given in the Unique Identification Document issued by Unique
Identification Authority of India, electoral identification document or such other document of the
owner, as may be prescribed by the State Government;
(b) details such as year of construction, laying of keel or such other information;
(c) details of design, if identified or categorised under this Chapter;
(d) details of officer issuing or granting the certificate; and
(e) number given to the vessels enrolled by the issuing authority.
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(3) The authorised department in every State shall issue a number to the non-mechanically propelled
inland vessel enrolled within the respective jurisdiction, which shall be unique for the purpose of
identification of enrolment with the authorised department of the respective State.
(4) The number so issued under sub-section (3) shall be exhibited on a conspicuous part of the nonmechanically propelled inland vessel in such form and manner as may be prescribed by the respective
State Government.
94. Standards of construction and safety.—(1) The basic minimum standards that may be
reasonably observed during the construction of any non-mechanically propelled inland vessel, shall be
such as may be prescribed by the State Government.
(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), the State Government shall specify, the
standards of construction, which any class or category of non-mechanically propelled inland vessel shall
comply with, in such manner as may be prescribed by it:
Provided that the standards prescribed by the State Government shall be in harmony with the
traditional knowledge and practices passed on as customary or ancestral means that are applied by skilled
and talented persons involved in the designing and construction of non-mechanically propelled inland
vessel.
(3) The State Government may specify the minimum safety gears and equipment by notification in
the Official Gazette with which the non-mechanically propelled inland vessel shall be equipped with for
the purpose of ensuring safety of such vessels.
(4) The State Government may provide for standards of overhauling, modifying, altering or refitting
the non-mechanically propelled inland vessel for the purpose of ensuring safe navigation.
(5) The non-mechanically propelled inland vessels enrolled under this Act, shall comply with the
safety standards as stipulated under this Chapter or the rules made in this regard.
(6) For the purposes of ensuring safe navigation of non-mechanically propelled inland vessels, the
State Government may, by notification, specify the routes, areas or stretch of inland waters that are
prohibited from being used or subject to such terms and conditions, for the navigation of nonmechanically propelled inland vessel.
95. Power of State Government to make rules to regulate non-mechanically propelled inland
vessels.— (1) The State Government may, by rules made in this behalf, specify the measures to regulate
non-mechanically propelled inland vessels.
(2) For the purposes of sub-section (1), the State Government may make rules for the following,
namely:—
(a) for prevention and minimising pollution caused by the non-mechanically propelled inland
vessels;
(b) for removal of obstructions to safe navigation;
(c) measures that may be adopted to avert accidents and casualty; and
(d) any other measure which the State Government may deem fit in implementing the provisions
of this Chapter.
96. Constitution of welfare fund.— (1) Every State Government shall, by notification, constitute a
welfare fund at district level, for allocation of such fund to assist the non-mechanically propelled inland
vessels enrolled under this Chapter.
(2) Any officer appointed or authorised under this Chapter to be in-charge of the fund for the nonmechanically propelled inland vessel shall, with the previous approval in writing of the respective State
Government or such other authority appointed for the said purpose, utilise the fund to—
(a) create awareness and conduct knowledge dissemination sessions for educating the owner,
operator and service user on improvements required for safe navigation;
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(b) provide equipment and devices of safety and navigation at a subsidised rate;
(c) provide support or relief during casualties, accidents or such emergencies; and
(d) for such other purposes as it may deem fit.