India News | Boilers Bill Fails to Address Environmental, Safety Concerns: Opposition

Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Opposition members in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday said provisions of the Boilers Bill 2024 are not in sync with the current requirements around environment, safety and security and will also adversely impact rights of states.

New Delhi, Dec 4 (PTI) Opposition members in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday said provisions of the Boilers Bill 2024 are not in sync with the current requirements around environment, safety and security and will also adversely impact rights of states.

The Bill seeks to replace a century old Boilers Act 1923.

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Participating in the discussion on the Bill, NCP (SCP) member Fauzia Khan said that on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, there should be a legislation that gives due diligence to routine inspections of boilers and ensure adequate quality checks.

She questioned the logic behind allowing third party audits that will enable private parties to certify safety of boilers.

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"...how can we ignore environmental and sustainability concerns, which have been severely overlooked in this Bill," Khan said.

She said that in the industrial stream, boilers are energy intensive, and one of the major sources of air pollution in the country. Provisions mandating or incentivizing renewable energy integration are notably absent in the Bill and it lacks specific provisions for monitoring and controlling emissions.

Khan said that in May 2023, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change weakened emission standards for large boilers.

"We have faced loss of human lives in innumerable explosion and leak accidents. The penalties proposed in the Bill starkly underplay the potential of catastrophic consequences to human life and property. Sir, I suggest that the penalties be grossly extended," she said.

CPI (M) Member John Brittas said that this Bill has no substance and it will add to the smog from which people are suffering in Delhi.

He said that many of the clauses are more or less the repetition of the old law and whatever "tampering" has been done with the Bill is to usurp the powers of states.

Brittas said that some clauses in the bill mandate that states must follow the central government's directions for investigating boiler accidents.

"Law and order is a state subject under our Constitution, so also a crime, naturally, but this clause blows the right past the federal principles. How can you supersede the state government? This is part and parcel of the law and order which is supposed to be a prerogative of the state government," Brittas said.

BJD member Sulata Deo said there should be adequate compensation for labourers and their rights must be protected.

CPI member PP Suneer said the power granted to authorities under the new Bill may lead to its misuse.

BJP member Seema Dwivedi said the Bill will improve safety standards, introduce new technology, mandate installation of smart meters, simplify rules etc to meet all the modern requirements for businesses.

She said that the government's focus is on controlling pollution and the new Bill has stringent provisions to control pollution.

AIADMK member M Thambidurai, BJP members Deepak Prakash, Dinesh Sharma Naresh Bansal, Shambhu Sharan Patel, Samik Bhattacharya also participated in the discussion.

Samik Bhattacharya, Baburam Nishad and Ajeet Madhavrao Gopchade of BJP too spoke on the Bill.

Bhattacharya said the Bill, when enacted, will enhance the efficacy, ease of doing business and safety of the workers.

"It (the Boilers Bill) is the need of the hour and we have to come out from the colonial hangover," he said.

Nishad said the provisions of the Bill are aimed at improving transparency and it will help reduce bureaucratic delays.

Gopchade said the Bill, when enacted, will prioritise safety of workers engaged in handling boilers.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)

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