Part IV-A Extra Ports & Transport Department

Extra No. 104 © The Gujarat Government Gazette EXTRAORDINARY PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY Vol. LXVII ] THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2026 / ASHADHA 18, 1948 Separate paging is given to this Part in order that it may be filed as a Separate Compilation. PART IV-A Rules and Orders (Other than those published in Parts I, I-A, and I-L) made by the Government of Gujarat under the Central Acts PORTS AND TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT NOTIFICATION Sachivalaya, Gandhinagar, 30th June, 2026. INLAND VESSELS ACT, 2021. No.G/PT/2026/18/PTD/MIS/e-file/22/2024/0899/GH-1: The following draft of rules amending the Gujarat Inland Vessel (Registration, Survey and Operation of Category ‘C’ Inland Vessels) Rules, 2024, which is proposed to be issued under sub-section (6) of section 5 of the Inland Vessels Act, 2021 (24 of 2021), is hereby published as requires by sub- section (1) of section 107 of the said Act, inviting objections and suggestions from all persons likely to be affected thereby and notice is hereby given that the said draft of rules will be taken into consideration by the Government of Gujarat on or after the expiry of thirty days from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette. 2. Any objection or suggestion which may be received by the Principal Secretary to the Government of Gujarat, Ports and Transport Department, Sachivalaya, Gandhinagar from any person with respect to the said draft on or before the expiry of the aforesaid period will be considered by the Government. IV-A Ex. 104 104-1104-2 GUJARAT GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, EX., 09-07-2026 [ PART IV-A DRAFT NOTIFICATION INLAND VESSELS ACT, 2021. No.G/PT/2026/18/PTD/MIS/e-file/22/2024/0899/GH-1: In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (6) of section 5 read with section 107 of the Inland Vessels Act, 2021 (24 of 2021), the Government of Gujarat hereby makes the following rules further to amend the Gujarat Inland Vessel (Registration, Survey and Operation of Category ‘C’ Inland Vessels) Rules, 2024, namely: - 1. (1) These rules may be called the Gujarat Inland Vessel (Registration, Survey and Operation of Category ‘C’ Inland Vessels) (First Amendment) Rules, 2026. (2) They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette. 2. In the Gujarat Inland Vessel (Registration, Survey and Operation of Category ‘C’ Inland Vessels) Rules 2024 (hereinafter referred to as “the said rules”), in rule 1, in sub-rule (1), for the word “Vessel”, the word “Vessels” shall be substituted. 3. In the said rules, for the expressions ‘pleasure craft/boat’ and ‘pleasure craft’, wherever they occur, the expression ‘boat’ shall be substituted, except where such expressions are used as defined terms. 4. In the said rules, in rule 2, in sub-rule (1), for clause (d), the following clause shall be substituted, namely: - “(d) ‘Boat’ means any vessel, whether mechanically propelled or non-mechanically propelled, and includes houseboats, motorboats, motor launches, pleasure crafts, and other similar vessels. However, for the purpose of these rules, ‘boat’ shall not include fishing vessels, defense vessels, coast guard vessels, ships registered or required to be registered under the Merchant Shipping Act, 2025 (24 of 2025), or vessels used for port operations;”. 5. In the said rules, in rule 2, in sub-rule (1), - (i) for clause (e), the following shall be substituted, namely: - “(e) ‘Category ‘C’ Vessel’ means a vessel of less than 10 meters length;”. (ii) for clause (f), the following shall be substituted, namely: - “(f) "Certification Agency" means any entity authorized by the State Government to carry out fitness certification of boats with respect to their structural strength, carrying capacity, stability, seaworthiness, safety requirements and technical specifications, and includes,- (i) Competent surveyors (Individuals & Firms), empaneled by the Gujarat Maritime Board in accordance with such criteria and procedures as may be specified by the Gujarat Maritime Board from time to time, for design certification, stability assessment, structural analysis, inspection, survey, and compliance verification of inland vessels; (ii) Competent Surveyor Firms approved or recognized by the Company of Master Mariners of India (CMMI), the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA UK), the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and its subsidiary or affiliated organizations, or the Institution of Naval Architects (INA), India; (iii) Competent Surveyors Individuals holding a Marine Engineer Officer Class-I Certificate of Competency, Master of a Foreign Going Ship (Master FG) Certificate of Competency, or a Degree in Naval Architecture from an institution/university recognized by the Government of India; (iv) the National Institute of Water Sports (NIWS); (v) any Classification Society, including those recognized by or being members of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), including the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS); and (vi) any other agency, institution, organization, firm, body, or person as may be notified or designated by the State Government from time to time for the purposes of these rules;”.PART IV-A ] GUJARAT GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, EX., 09-07-2026 104-3 (iii) after clause (g), the following clause shall be inserted, namely: - “(ga) ‘Designated Authority’ means any authority appointed by the Government under sub-section (3) of section 5 of the Act;”. (iv) for clause (j), the following clause shall be substituted, namely: - “(j) Mechanically Propelled Boat’ means any boat which is propelled by mechanical means of propulsion;”. (v) for clause (l), the following clause shall be substituted, namely: - “(l) ‘Non-mechanically propelled Boat’ means any boat which is not a mechanically propelled boat;”. (vi) for clause (n), the following clause shall be substituted, namely: - “(n) ‘Operator’ means a person or entity that owns, operates, or proposes to own or operate a boat for any activity including pleasure boating, ferry services, parasailing, jet-skiing, kayaking, water skiing, water towing, canoeing, rafting, scuba diving, or any other recreational activities carried out in inland waters within in the State of Gujarat;”. 6. In the said rules, in rule 3, - (i) for sub-rule (1), the following sub-rule shall be substituted, namely: - “(1) These rules shall apply to the registration, operation, and regulation of boats falling under Category ‘C’ vessels, as classified under rule 6 of the Inland Vessels (Survey and Certification) Rules, 2022, made by the Central Government and shall also apply to all operators engaged in conducting such activities within the State of Gujarat.”. (ii) for sub-rule (2), the following sub-rule shall be substituted, namely: - “(2) These rules shall govern the process of registration, survey, certification, and operational compliance for boats plying in inland waters within the State of Gujarat.”. 7. In the said rules, in rule 4, - (i) for sub-rule (1), the following sub-rule shall be substituted, namely: - “(1) Any person or entity required to register a boat (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Applicant’), shall make an application to the Registrar having respective jurisdiction. The application shall be submitted in Form 1, along with survey application in Form 2, and shall be accompanied by the necessary registration fee and survey fee as prescribed in SCHEDULE B, which shall be paid prior application.”. (ii) in sub-rule (2), (a) for clause (i), the following clause shall be substituted, namely: - “(i) Documents evidencing ownership of the boat (Form 3) and a builder’s certificate/specification certificate issued by the builder, in such form as may be specified;”. (b) for clause (iii), the following clause shall be substituted, namely: - “(iii) Fitness Certificate of the boat issued by the certifying agency as prescribed in these rules, certifying the fitness of the boat for the intended operation;”. (iii) after sub-rule (2), the following sub-rule shall be inserted, namely: - “(2A) (i) Notwithstanding anything contained in clause (i) of sub-rule (2), where the Applicant is unable to produce the documents evidencing ownership of the boat in Form 3 or the builder’s certificate/specification certificate issued by the builder in prescribed form, in respect of an existing boat, the Applicant may submit, through the office of the concerned District Magistrate, a proposal to a Certification Agency or Classification Society recognized by the Government or the Designated Authority in accordance with these rules for inspection, survey and assessment of the boat.104-4 GUJARAT GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, EX., 09-07-2026 [ PART IV-A (ii) Upon receipt of such proposal, the Certification Agency or Classification Society shall conduct such inspection, tests and structural assessments as deemed necessary to determine the fitness, stability, structural integrity, and safety of the boat for its intended operation. Where any deficiency in construction, quality, structural integrity or safety standards is identified, the Certification Agency or Classification Society may recommend such retrofitting, modifications, repairs, or structural alterations as may be necessary to bring the boat into conformity with the prescribed standards. (iii) Upon satisfactory compliance with such recommendations and successful completion assessment, the Certifying Agency or Classification Society may issue a Fitness Certificate in accordance with these rules for the purpose of registration of the boat.”. 8. In the said rules, in rule 6, - (i) for sub-rule (1), the following shall be substituted, namely: - “(1) Notwithstanding the operator possessing a valid Certificate of Registration, Certificate of Survey, and safety equipment as prescribed in Schedule A, no boat shall be operated unless a valid permission for operation by the District Magistrate or the Municipal Commissioner, as the case may be.” (ii) for sub-rule (5), the following sub-rule shall be substituted, namely: - “(5) Subject to satisfactory verification of the documents submitted and antecedents of the operator, the District Magistrate or, as the case may be, Municipal Commissioner may issue permission for operation of the boat, subject to the terms and conditions specified in the relevant Standard Operating Procedure applicable for the activity concerned.”. 9. In the said rules, after rule 11, the following rule shall be inserted, namely: - “12. Miscellaneous Provisions. - The Designated Authority may, from time to time, issue, amend, modify, withdraw, or rescind such orders, directions, guidelines, standard operating procedures, circulars, or any other instructions as may be necessary for carrying out purposes of these rules and for their effective implementation, administration, clarification, or operationalisation: Provided that no such orders, directions, guidelines, standard operating procedures, circulars, or instructions shall be inconsistent with the provisions of these rules.”. 10. In the said rules, in Form 4, in the first paragraph, for the words and figures” Inland Vessel Act, 2021”, the words and figures “Inland Vessels Act, 2021” shall be substituted. 11. In the said rules in Schedule A relating to “Standard Operating Procedure”, - (i) in clause 2, for sub-clause (a), the following clause shall be substituted, namely: - “(a) apply to all boats, as defined in clause (d) of sub-rule (1) of rule 2, falling under Category ‘C’ vessels;”; (ii) in clause 6, for sub-clause (d), the following sub-clause shall be substituted, namely: - “(d) (i) Inland waters in which boat operations are conducted shall be subjected to a bathymetric survey at least once every three years. The DWSC/CWSC as the case may be, shall, at the cost of the local authority or the operator, as may be specified in the agreement entered into between the local authority and the operator, cause such bathymetric survey to be conducted in consultation with the Gujarat Maritime Board. (ii) The commissioning, conduct, execution, and utilization of the bathymetric survey shall be carried out in accordance with the terms and conditions mutually agreed upon between the local authority and the operator and subject to such operational, technical and procedural safeguards as may be considered necessary by the authority commissioning the survey. The Gujarat Maritime Board shall providePART IV-A ] GUJARAT GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, EX., 09-07-2026 104-5 technical advice regarding the conduct of such surveys and may facilitate the process, wherever feasible, without prejudice to the responsibilities and liabilities of the local authority or the operator under these rules.”. 12. In the said rules, in Schedule B relating to “Schedule of Fees for Survey & Registration”, for the entry at Sr.No.1, the following entry shall be substituted, namely: - “1. Registration of Boats- ₹ 5,000/-” Vessels up to 300 GT By order and in the name of the Governor of Gujarat, BRIJESH P. UPADHYAY, Deputy Secretary to Government. ----------- Government Central Press, Gandhinagar.