Lok Sabha Question No. 1934 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-10
Subject: Simplification of Rules
Ministry: SHIPPING
Asked by: KUNWAR HARIBANSH SINGH, SUDHEER GUPTA, SUNIL BALIRAM GAIKWAD, GAJANAN CHANDRAKANT KIRTIKAR, CHANDRA PRAKASH JOSHI, NARANBHAI KACHHADIA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SHIPPING

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1934. TO BE ANSWERED ON 10 TH  DECEMBER, 2015

## SIMPLIFICATION OF RULES

## 1934.   SHRI KUNWAR HARIBANSH SINGH:

SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA:

DR. SUNIL BALIRAM GAIKWAD:

SHRI GAJANAN KIRTIKAR:

SHRI CHANDRA PRAKASH JOSHI:

SHRI NARANBHAI KACHHADIYA:

Will the Minister of SHIPPING be pleased to state:

पोतप�रवहनम ं त्

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  set  up  a  Committee  to  identify  obsolete  rules  and regulations with a view to streamline the processes and procedures in the shipping sector and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Committee has submitted its report to the Government;
- (c) if  so,  the  details  of  the  recommendations  made  by  the  Committee  and  the  follow  up action taken by the Government thereon;
- (d) whether the Government proposes to rescind thirteen rules under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the  other  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  to  achieve  process  simplification and ensure transparency in the shipping sector?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF SHIPPING (SHRI PON. RADHAKRISHNAN)

- (a) Yes, Madam, the Ministry of Shipping has constituted a Committee under Joint Director General of Shipping to look into all the Acts and Regulations being administered by this Ministry and its attached/subordinate offices/autonomous organizations   to assess which of these Acts/Regulations are obsolete and needs to be repealed.
- (b) Yes, Madam.
- (c) The Committee has  recommended for repeal of (i) the Merchant Shipping (Certificate of Service) Rules 1970; (ii) the Merchant Shipping (Safety Convention Certificate) Rules 1975;  (iii)  the  Merchant  Shipping  (Radio  Direction  Finders)  Rules  1968;  (iv)  the Merchant Shipping (Rates) Rules 1970; (v) the Merchant Shipping (Indian Pilgrim) Rules 1933;  (vi)  the  Northern  India  Ferry  Act  1878;  (vii)  the  Shipping  Development  Fund Committee  (Abolition)  Act  1986;  (viii) the Rules  for Inspecting,  Surveying  and

Regulating Vessels which are not Self Propelling Plying within the Limits of the Port of Bombay  and  (ix)  the  Mumbai  Port  Trust  Warehouse  Bye-law.  Out  of  nine  laws recommended by the Committee, the notification for rescinding/pre-publication of four Rules under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 and for repeal of one Rules and one Byelaw each of the Mumbai Port Trust, have already been published. Further, the Ministry of Shipping  has  recommended  to  the  Ministry  of  Law  &  Justice  to  repeal  the  two  Acts namely,  the  Shipping  Development  Fund  Committee  (Abolition)  Act  1986  and  the Northern  India  Ferry  Act  1878.  Likewise,  the  Ministry  of  External  Affairs  has  been recommended to rescind the Merchant Shipping (Indian Pilgrim) Rules 1933 notified by them.

- (d) In addition to the Rules recommended by the Committee [Rules at Sl. No. (i) to (iv) of part  (c)  above],  the  Ministry  has  also  published  a  notification  for  rescinding/prepublishing nine other obsolete Rules under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 totalling to thirteen rules. In consultation with the Legislative Department, the rescinding/prepublication notification has been published, in the Gazette of India dated 17.11.2015. The thirteen Rules are:
1. Merchant Shipping (Distressed Seamen) Rules, 1960
2. Merchant Shipping (Certificate of Service) Rules, 1970
3. Merchant Shipping (Rates) Rules 1970
4. Merchant Shipping (Radio) Rules, 1983
5. Merchant Shipping (Examination of Masters and Mates) Rules, 1968
6. Merchant Shipping (Examination of Engineer Officers in the Merchant Navy) Rules, 1989
7. Merchant Shipping (Certificate of Competency) Rules, 1989
8. Merchant Shipping (Safety Convention Certificates) Rules, 1975,
9. Merchant Shipping (Radio Direction Finders) Rules 1968,
10. Merchant Shipping (Distress Messages and Navigational Warnings) Rules, 1964
11. Merchant Shipping (Muster) Rules, 1968
12. Merchant Shipping (Pilot Ladder) Rules, 1967
13. Lifeboatmen's (Qualifications and Certificates) Rules 1963
- (e) In order to achieve simplification of  procedure and ensure transparency, the government has      taken  various  e-governance  initiatives  for  online  delivery  of  services  by  the Directorate General  of Shipping  such  as processing  and  issuance  of chartering permission application, procedural formalities for certificate of competency examination, e-payment,  seat  booking,  processing  and  issuance  of  certificates  and  registration  of multimodal transport operators.

*****