Uttar Pradesh is revamping motorised water vessel registration under the Inland Water Vessels Act, introducing a centralised portal and appointing marine engineers.
The state transport department is updating the process for the registration of motorised water vessels under the Inland Water Vessels Act of 2021.
Since 11 of the 111 major waterways in the country are located in the state, Uttar Pradesh is putting in place a robust system for the registration and tracking of such vessels to enhance oversight and efficiency, officials said.
As of now, the burden of registration of such vessels lies with assistant regional transport officers (ARTOs). Also, U.P. does not have a licencing authority for boats. So even after getting ARTOs’ approval, boat owners or the crew do not get a licence even though a 12-digit hull number is issue to them.
The ongoing change will shift this responsibility to the regional transport officers. Also, a centralised portal is being readied for launch in October, where boat owners can register their vessels without having to physically visit the nodal offices. Also, marine engineers will be appointed as surveyors, making the process more airtight.
After the new system is put in place, all boat owners will be required to re-register.
Meanwhile, an inland waterways authority is also being formed in the state. The top boss of the transport department will play its acting head. The scope of the new body is still being chalked out.