Author: aitc

Madam, I rise to speak on the Coastal Shipping Bill, 2024, brought forward by the hon. Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal. Coastal shipping is a huge area. It covers 7,500 kilometres of our coast. The problem with our coast is that we have a long coastline, but it is not indented. If you compare it with the Scandinavian coast, there is indentation, so that ships can go straight into the harbour. We do not have that facility, but we have to make do with what we have. Now, the main thing is that coastal shipping is cheaper. Madam, you are from Madhya Pradesh, you would not realise the problems we have in Kolkata. From Kolkata to Chennai, we can carry coal very easily. It is easier than a train or a truck. This is very prevalent. The hon. Minister wants to improve that. But, at present, waterways account for only 6.4 per cent of our transport mix. It is much lower than countries like China, Japan and the EU. The Bill seeks to increase the share to 7.5 per cent by 2030, and 12 per cent by 2047, thereby reducing congestion on roads and railways. The hon. Minister has done some work on improving inland river connectivity. Mainly, our national waterways are there like Ganga, Brahmaputra and other places. Madam, you would be surprised to know that from Kolkata port, there are ships going to Cachar. How do they go? They go down Ganges to the sea. Then from Bangladesh, they go up Brahmaputra to reach Cachar. There is a regular trip to Karimganj from Kolkata. Now, these are great advantages. There is no traffic jam on waterways and the cost is less. But there is one thing. If we improve our coastal shipping, it will enhance India’s marine competitiveness. Though 100 per cent FDI is allowed in the shipping sector, complex regulations have hindered foreign investment so far. We must not allow regulations tohamper investment. This Bill introduces uniformity and transparency, encouraging more ships to register in India and boosting maritime trade. Madam, you possibly know that there are mechanized vessels and non-mechanized vessels. For instance, if you take a huge barge going by the Ganges or going into Bangladesh, it is a non-mechanized vessel. If you look at the huge oil platforms through which we raise oil from Bombay high, they are also non-mechanized. The mechanised vessels are those which use an engine. The engine may be a petrol engine. But it is better to have a CNG engine. That will improve our marine competitiveness. This is one suggestion that we have. We should have a provision in Clause 3 requiring at least 50 per cent of India’s domestic cargo to be transported by Indian-flagged vessels. In this House, a few days ago, I mentioned that we have not given attention to the shipping sector. Mr. Sonowal, as a Minister, is giving attention to the shipping sector. He is trying to improve both inland, coastal and high seas ship transportation. That is a big way of improving our situation. The Bill mandates the creation of a National Coastal and Inland Shipping Strategic Plan within two years of the commencement of the Act. But one requirement is that we must not depend wholly on the DirectorGeneral of Shipping. The Director-General of Shipping is the biggest bureaucrat in the Shipping Ministry after the Secretary. We must create an independent body to look after shipping matters, instead of giving it to a single Director-General of Shipping. There is a big problem of Indian seafarers or sailors finding jobs. The Government should mandate a minimum quota of Indian seafarers in Indianflagged vessels. We should give more encouragement to the shipping companies that employ Indian seafarers through tax rebates. Lastly, the new National Coastal and Inland Shipping Strategic Plan should not be implemented in a hurry. From ancient times, ships have opened up India’s doors. You know in the 15th century, Vasco da Gama came from Portugal to India through a ship. But even before that, Samrat Ashok sent his children to the South East Asia. Shivaji had a fleet. Kanhoji Angre was Shivaji’s Admiral. He had the finest navy. The Vijayanagar kings and Cholas also had fleets. So, I would urge upon the Shipping Minister – he has got straight four years till the next elections – that he should show some result in Andhra Pradesh which is having the second-largest coastline in the country. It will benefit from the Bill, so will Maharashtra which has got a big coastline. I do not want to prolong my speech. Bills should not be introduced only to establish or force regulations. There are too many regulations. You get a punishment because of this. You have to pay so much. No, Bills or laws should be there to encourage shipping. And I would like our Indian shipping to benefit totally from this Bill. I look forward to Kolkata benefitting because Kolkata has been an inland for a long time. Ships go out from Kolkata to Chennai, to Bangladesh. And it will benefit very much if shipping is included. I have nothing to oppose in the Bill. I have made some suggestions. With these words, I thank the hon. Minister. Thank you.

Sir, on behalf of All India Trinamool Congress, I rise to speak on the Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill, 2024. India has 13 major ports, namely, Kolkata, Paradip, Visakhapatnam, Chennai, Tuticorin, Cochin, Port Blair and others. But Kolkata Port is the oldest port in our country established by the British East India Company in the year 1870. This port is known as the gateway to Eastern India for the rest of the world. The port is part of the 21st century Maritime Silk Route. As on March, 2018, the port is capable of processing annually 6,50,000 containers, mostly from Nepal, Bhutan and India’s Northern States which are landlocked places. The Hooghly River, where the port is located, experiences heavy siltation, reducing the navigable draft to six to seven metres from its original nine metres. This restricts the size and draft of vessels that can access the port. The lack of regular dredging further exacerbates the problem of fluctuating drafts. So, I would like to request the hon. Minister that to save the Kolkata Port, dredging of Hooghly River should be taken into consideration. At the same time, I would like to request the hon. Minister to take necessary steps for infrastructural development of the Kolkata Port along with all modern facilities. Dhamra, Mundra plus 12 other ports are operated by private companies. The company’s name is well-known. This is the Adani company. Our country has 34,000 miles of coastline. Despite that, we do not have large tanker ships; whereas small countries like Denmark, Japan are doing excellent work in the field of carriage of goods by sea. So, this is my one point. This Bill gives the current Government excessive power to regulate and control the transportation sector, leaving the State Governments, local bodies and small logistic businesses with no authority. By doing so, the federal structure of the country is being weakened. The Bill also introduces complex and unnecessary rules that small transporters and local businesses will find extremely hard to follow. These small operators will now have to meet the same high standards and regulatory requirements as large multinational companies, However, since small companies do not have the financial or technical capacity to meet these regulations, they will eventually be forced out of business. This move will benefit large logistic companies. The Government, instead of supporting small businesses, seems to be pushing them towards closure through heavy regulation. This clearly shows the Government’s lack of concern for small and medium enterprises, making it easier for large private corporations like Adanis to dominate the market. One of the biggest problems is that the Bill would significantly increase transportation cost across the country which will ultimately be passed on to customers. As a result, the price of essential items like grains, vegetables and other daily-use products will increase sharply, causing a rise in inflation. This will put a huge financial burden on lower and middle-income group. The Government has introduced provisions that allow private companies to operate major ports, cargo terminals and logistics infrastructure under the public-private partnership model. This means that large multinational companies will now control most of the logistic infrastructure leading to a monopoly in maritime logistics. Over a period of time, the public sector’s control over essential transportation will weaken, putting job security of port workers, affordability of transportation services, and State control at risk. The Government is pushing its privatization agenda under the excuse of modernisation, which will have long-term damaging effects on the economy and the common people. Another very concerning aspect is that the Bill grants legal immunity to large logistic companies in case of loss, damage, and delay of goods during transportation. This means that if a small trader’s goods get damaged or lost during transit, the large logistic companies will not be held accountable and the small traders will receive no compensation or legal protection. This provision is extremely unfair as it clearly favours big corporations … The Hague Rules of 1924 were amended by the Protocol signed in Brussels on 23rd February, 1968, and then, on 21st December, 1979 as Visby Rules. The schedule to the said Rules provides the Hague Rules …

Honourable Chairperson Sir, train services on the Tatanagar-Kharagpur-Howrah section of the South Eastern Railway are being delayed unexpectedly. Due to this, the daily commuters are facing severe problems. Several other important passenger trains, like Tata-Howrah Steel Express, Howrah Ispat Express, and HowrahGhatshila MEMU Express, are being delayed unusually. The daily commuters are facing deep suffering as local and express trains are not running on scheduled time on the Tatanagar-Kharagpur-Howrah section due to freight transport. I request the railway authorities to intervene in this matter immediately to ensure timely train services. Sir, the construction work of the dazzling Amrit Bharat Station at Jhargram is nearing completion, for which I thank the Honourable Railway Minister. Sir, my sincere appeal to the Honourable Railway Minister, with the completion of the construction work of Amrit Bharat Station in Jhargram, trains like RanchiHowrah Vande Bharat Express, Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Tejas Rajdhani Express should get a stoppage at Jhargram station. Sir, Bhubaneswar -New Delhi Tejas Rajdhani runs through the Jhargram station on Tuesday, Monday, Thursday and Friday in a week. After Balasore in Odisha, the train has a stoppage at Hijli in West Bengal. I demand that the stoppage at Hijli be avoided and the Jhargram train should be given a stoppage at least two days a week after Balasore. Sir, I demand a Jhargram-Digha Daily Express and two MEMU trains which will be beneficial to the many tourists and businessmen. I had previously demanded a railway line connecting Bandwan with Baripada via Jhilimili, Jhargram and Gopiballavpur. I would request to kindly consider this project with utmost importance. Besides, I would also request to immediately start the work on the sanctioned new railway line from Purulia to Jhargram via Mukutmanipur and Manbazar. I also demand to immediately begin the work on the proposed Bhadutala-Jhargram rail route via Lalgarh.

Thank you, Mr. Chairperson, Sir. I would like to draw the attention of the House to a very serious issue regarding the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. Section 44(3) of the DPDP Act completely overrides Section 8(1) (j) of the RTI Act. The RTI Act had a provision whereby data could only be denied if it pertained to personal data or if it pertained to any information that could not be given to Parliament or to a person. Now, with the new DPDP Act, these exemptions in the RTI Act have been completely done away with. Now, the Government can deny all personal data and all data blanketly to anyone asking for data, which means you will not be able to obtain data on wilful loan defaulters or on anything that the Government does not want you to access. This completely undermines the RTI Act. Furthermore, there is a Section in the DPDP Act that states any group, including journalists, activists, and political parties, that possesses data can now be classified as a data fiduciary, subjecting them to all the obligations of a data fiduciary. The Data Protection Board, which is completely made up by the Government, has the power to impose fines ranging from Rs.250 crore to Rs. 500 crore. This will have a chilling effect on anyone seeking data. The Act has been gazetted, but rules have not yet been framed. So, we would really request the Government to re-look at it, and take it back to repeal Section 44(3) of the DPDP Act. Thank you.

Sir, under Rule 72(1) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha, I oppose the introduction of the Indian Ports Bill, 2025. The Indian Ports Act was enacted in 1908. At that time, all the ports were under the Centre and under the ownership of the Central Government. But in recent times, many private ports have come up and parts of the Government ports have been leased to the private companies. The present legislation does not appear to be adequate to control the private ports. It has been proposed in the new Bill that a new adjudicating mechanism will be set up. So far as the wages of port workers are concerned, they are finalised through a tripartite mechanism in which the labour has an equal role. The present Bill may take away the rights of the workers. Hence, I oppose the adjudication and I oppose the Bill.

Thank you, Chairman, Sir, for giving me an opportunity to speak in the‘Zero Hour’. Shri Sabir Mallik, a young boy from Basanti in my Parliamentary Constituency of Jaynagar, went to Charkhi Dadri district of Haryana in search of a job as a migrant labour. He was brutally killed by some local Hindutvadi activists, who falsely blamed him for having consumed beef सर, हररयार्ा र्वनणमेंट सेन दोषी को कोई सजा तमली और न ही उनसेकोई मदद तमली। न ही ठेकेदार को उनका कुछ पैसा तदया। सर, श्री सातबर मतलक कीबॉडीपतिम बंर्ाल लेजानेके तलए उसकेपररवार को एबं लुेस पर 70,000 रुपए खचणकरनेपड़े। Are the Muslims not the citizens of our country? Is this ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’‍िor‍िamritmaya Bharat? मैंMinistry of Social Justice and Empowerment सेदरख्वास्ि करना चाहिीह ं तक उसकेपररवार को मआु वजा तदया जाए। …

Sir, I rise to speak on the Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025. चेयरमैन सर, इस जबल का 11 माचच, 2025 को इंरोिक्शन जकया गया था। उस समय मैंने इंरोिक्शन का जवरोध जकया था। श्री मनीश ज वारी जी नेभी इंरोिक्शन का जवरोध जकया था। उसकेकुछ जदन बाद यह जबल हमारेसामनेआया है। मेन चीज क्या ह? ै वह यह हैजक हमारेदेश मेंजो लोग आ ेहैं, उन पर हमेंकं रोल रिना है। मैं इसकेबारेमेंबाद मेंजिटेल मेंबाद मेंबोलूंगा। भार मेंयहजबल चारोंपरुानेजबल्स को लेकरबनाहै– The Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920, which was during the colonial times; The Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939, again, which was during the colonial times; The Foreigners Act, 1946; and The Immigration (Carriers Liability) Act, 2000. सर, होम जमजनस्री के जहसाब के अनसुार, a total of 98,40,321 (98 lakh) foreigners visited India between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024. सर, हम क्या चाह ेहैं? हम चाह ेहैंजक हमारेदेश मेंज्यादा टूररस्टडस आए।ं उनकेआनेसेहमारा र्ॉरने एक्सचेंज अच्छा होगा। हम यह भी चाह ेहैंजक कोई अनजिज़ायरबे ल एजलमटें जहन्दस्ु ान मेंनहीं घसुे। The main thing is to have a balance, सं लु न होना चाजहए। हम जजन लोगों को ला ेहैं, हम पूरी दजुनया मेंएिडवटाचइज़ कर ेहैंजक भार मेंआओ, ाज महल देिो, लाल जकला देिो। … राम मंजदर भी देिनेआएगं े, लेजकन उसका मझुेप ा नहीं है। … वहां ो केवल जहंदूलोग जा सक ेहैं, जो लोग बाहर रह ेहैं। … ) अ :, सर, येसब हो सक ा है। … लेजकन, हम जान ेहैंजक सबसेज्यादा लोगबांनलादेश सेआएह।ैंयनुाइटेि स्टेटडस से17 लाि लोग आए थे, यूके से9,86,000 लोग आए थे। The number of foreigners who came on student visa during 2021, 2022, and 2023 was 22,159; 31,910; and 40,431 respectively. It is not a large number. इजमग्रेशन केबारेमेंएक जसंपल लॉ ह हम जर्जजक्स मेंबोल ेहैंजक water flows from a level of higher pressure to lower pressure. इजमग्रेशन का म लब यहहै human beings flow from a poorer country to a richer country. जो रोजहंनया है, वह म्यान्मार सेबांनलादेश आयेगा और बांनलादेश सेकुछ लोग जहन्दस्ु ान में आएगं ।े जहन्दस्ु ान के लोग अमेररका जाएगं े। हम चाह ेहैंजक बांनलादेश के घसुपैजठए हमारेयहाूँन आयें, लेजकन हम जक्लयर नहीं हैंजक अमेररका मेंजो लोग िकं ी करके जा ेहैं, आप शाहरुि िान की िंकी जर्ल्म देिेंगे ो आपको सब सार् हो जायेगा जक जक ना कष्ट झेलकर लोग जा ेहैं। वेक्यों जा ेहैं? वे इसजलए जा ेजक वहाूँअच्छी जजन्दगी जमलगे ी, वहाूँअच्छी इनकम जमलेगी। अमेररका नेइन्सजल्टंग-वेमें हमारेलोगों केहाथ, पैर मेंबेडी लगाकर यहाूँभेजा। हम कुछ नहीं बोल पाये। अमरेरकन एयरर्ोसचके प्लने नेउन्हेंचंिीगढ़ मेंड्रॉप कर जदया, जबट्ट साहब को प ा होगा। यह हमारी बडी इन्सल्ट थी। हम अभी भी अपनेलोगों को समझा नहीं पायेजक आप ऐसेम जाओ। बाहर जाकर इन्सजल्टि होंगे, मार िाएगं , े अमेररकन पजुलस केहाथ मेंपकडेजाओगे। यह द:ुिद बा है। मोदी जी की सरकार उनको यहाूँरि नही पाएगी। अभी मझुेयह कहना हैजक इस जबल मेंक्या है, इस जबल मेंचार कानूनों को इकट्ठा करके लाए हैं, लेजकन जो लोग यहाूँआएगं े, उन पर भी ररजस्रक्शन है। जैसेहम फ्रांस सेजाएगं े, मैंगया था, वह बोला it is visa on arrival. If you have diplomatic passport, no visa is required. हमारेयहाूँभी जापान, साउथ कोररया और यूएई सेजो आएगं े, उनको कोई वीजा नहीं लगेगा। हमारेयहाूँकुछ एररयाज हैं, जो ररजस्रक्टेि हैं। अंिमान, नॉथच-ईस्ट, parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan, यहाूँपर र्ोरने सचकोस्पेशल परजमट लग ाहै।हम भी ररजस्रक्ट करनेकी कोजशश कर ेहैं। एक रर् हम उन्हेंबलुा ेहैंजक आओ-आओ भाई और दूसरी रर् हम बोल े हैंजक यहाूँ मु नहीं जा सक ेहो। इस पर मनीश ज वारी जी नेजोबोला हैजक इसमेंसं लु न होना चाजहए। मेरेख्याल मेंअजम शाह जी की पसचनैजलटी भी ऐसी है, थोडेकडेहैं,…‍ि  उन्होंनेबडा जस्टर् कानून बनायाहै। मैंचाह ाह ूँजक इस जबल कोएक जॉइंट जसलेक्ट कमेटी मेंभेजा जाए, जैसा मनीश ज वारी जी नेसजेस्ट जकयाहै।…‍ि(व्यवधान) सर, एक जमनट रूजकए, मेरी बा पूरी होनेवाली है। आप असम केह, ैंहम बंगाल केहैं, हम ो पडोसी ह।ैंअं मेंमझुेयही कहना हैजक नया कुछ नहींहुआ है। जो था, वही है।… सर, एक जमनट सनु लीजजए, जरूरी बा है।… हम पडोसी हैं, ो एक-दूसरेकी मदद करनी चाजहए। अभी बोल ेहैंजक जो आएगं े, उनकोपासपोटचऔरवीजा चाजहए।एक इजमग्रेशन ऑजर्सर कीपोस्ट होगी।…‍ि  मेरीबा हो गई ह।ै एक ब्यूरो ऑर् इजमग्रेशन बनेगा, जो पहलेनहीं था। जो दो िाउटर्ुल सब्जेक्टडस हैं, एक है एजकुेशनल इंस्टीटडयूटडस एिं यूजनवजसचटीज, इन लोगों के जलए अजनवायचहैजक अगर र्ॉरने सेकोई आया है ो वेसरकार को ब ाएगं । महोदय, यह अच्छा हैक्योंजक अफ्रीकन कं रीज सेबहु र्ॉरने सचआ ेहै : महोदय, मेरी बा लगभग समाप्त हो गई है। वेर्ॉरने सचकोलका ा मेंआ ेहैं और दो सौ, पांच सौ रुपयेदेकर र्ुटबाल िेल ेऔर सीि ेहैं। उसकेबाद आप देि सक ेहैंजक वेकहां पहुंच जा ेह।ैंइस पर ररजस्रक्शन होनी चाजहए लजेकन यह भी ोहोना चाजहए जक र्ॉरने सचस्टूिेंटडस हमारी यूजनवजसचटी मेंपढ़ें, हमारी यूजनवजसचटी का स्टैंििच थोडा अच्छा हो। हमारेलोग ऑक्सर्ोिच, केम्ब्रीज, केजलर्ॉजनचया, हावचिचजा ेह।ैं : जबहमारेलोगबाहर जा ेहैं ो बाहर सेभी लोग हमारेयहांआएगं े।