Long-pending changes to law on boilers notified

NEW DELHI - The government Wednesday notified a legislation enhancing the safety norms for industrial boilers to avoid the danger of their explosion and guard life and property from destruction.

The legislation, titled Indian Boilers (Amendment) Act, 2007, was notified nearly three years after it was passed by Parliament in December 2007, said a commerce and industry ministry statement.

Explaining the delay in notification of the 2007 amendment to the original Indian Boilers Act of 1923 vintage, the ministry said though some of the provisions of the amended Act had been implemented in May 2008, others were not notified due to absence of rules framed on the issue of third party inspection etc.

The Indian Boilers Act, 1923 was enacted to provide for safety of life and property from the danger of explosion of boilers and for achieving uniformity in registration and inspection during operation and maintenance of boilers throughout the country, said the ministry.

Since then there had been no major amendments to the 1923 law while the legislation required changes in consonance with the developments in the technology of fabrication, operation, testing and inspection of boilers, it added.

The Indian Boilers Act, 1923 with its amended provisions will immensely benefit a broad spectrum of industries, both in large and small-scale sector which includes power plants, chemical plants, refineries, paper plants, steel plants, sugar mills and other process industries, said the ministry.

It added that the new provisions will “now lead to a simplified and more accessible, user-friendly framework for the administration of the Boilers Act and protect manufacturers and users interests without sacrificing the safety of boilers.