Rajya Sabha clears Bill to replace 100 years old Boiler Act

New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday cleared a Bill to provide for the regulation of boilers, safety of life and property of persons from the danger of explosions of steam-boilers and uniformity in registration.

The Boilers Bill, 2024, seeks to repeal the century-old Boilers Act, 1923.

The Bill, which aims to decriminalise seven offences and promote ease of doing business, was cleared in the Upper House by a voice vote.

The Bill also has provisions to ensure the safety of persons working inside a boiler. It also provides that repair of boilers should be undertaken by qualified and competent persons.

Piloting the Bill, Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal said several colonial-era laws were prevalent across sectors in the country and the proposed legislation seeks to do away with the colonial mind-set.

The government is revisiting pre-1947 laws to make any required changes, he added.

“This Boilers Bill in a way makes the country safe. We need the Boilers Bill to ensure safety, it mandates that competent and qualified people inspect boilers,” said the minister.

He observed that the Bill has clear accountability provisions and towards a transparent regulatory mechanism.

“We thought it was necessary to amend The Boilers Act of 1923 which was comprehensively amended in 2007,” Goyal said, adding that the amendment of 2007 took 35 long years to be brought to fruition.

“In the Monsoon session of 2000 it (the Boilers Bill) was introduced in Parliament. It was NDA government in power and he (Vajpayee) introduced it in Rajya Sabha,” Goyal said.

He also said the government plans to celebrate the 100 years birth centenary of Atal Behari Vajpayee from December 25.

“I was amazed by the speeches I heard in Parliament today. They (Congress) did not have the guts to bring it in Parliament,” said Goyal.

“The Prime Minister’s thought of moving forward with a new vision and shed slavery, he decided to revisit all the laws and bring them at par with today’s demands,” said the minister.

“We are trying to streamline the processes, certification has been made easier and more democratised all over the country, operations are made easier so that industry does not have to suffer from officialdom,” Goyal said.

None of the rights of states has been taken away with today’s law, the minister assured the members.

“Ironically, today we are suggested by many MPs that we have taken away the rights of states though our government talks of cooperative federalism. Every right of the state remains as it is,” he said.

Every right of the state that prevailed in 2007 at the time of the UPA brought in the amendment, which not just included Congress but also Trinamool Congress and others, every right of the states remains as it is.