Sir, I have point of order under rule… Thank you, Sir, for appreciation. I have a point of order under Rule 267. For discussion on duplicate EPIC, four of us, on behalf of All India Trinamool Congress, had given notices under Rule 267 on last Friday. You had said that you would give your ruling. But, no ruling was given. Sir, notices under Rule 267 were not called out on Friday. So, I am humbly requesting your ruling of Friday. Thank you.
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, I have a point of order. Sir, my point of order is under Rule 267. I had given notice under Rule 267 for demanding a discussion on the duplicate EPIC voter cards. The notice is still alive, Sir, but it has not been read out. I would request your ruling on it, Sir. Thank you, Sir.
उपसभाध्यक्ष महोदया, आपका बहुत- बहुत धन्यवाद। मैं आज the Protection of Interests in Aircraft Objects Bill, 2025 पर अपनी बात रखने के लिए अपनी पार्टी ऑल इंडिया तृणमूल कांग्रेस की ओर से खड़ा हुआ हूं। मैडम, मैं ‘वायुयान वस्तुओं में हित संरक्षण विधेयक 2025’ की कमियों को उजागर करना चाहता हूं। इस विधेयक को लाने में बहुत देरी हुई है, इसकी अधूरी रूपरेखा एक गंभीर चिंता पैदा करती है। सरकार को स्पष्ट करना चाहिए कि इस कानून को लाने में इतना समय क्यों लगा। यह सच है कि एयरलाइंस लीजर्स, निवेशक एवं यात्रियों को चुनौतियों का सामना करना पड़ता था। वर्षों से विदेशी लीजर्स, फाइनेंसर्स को भारत की कानूनी अधिसूचना का भी सामना करना पड़ा है। 2023 में एयरलाइंस के दिवालियापन मामले ने इस समस्या को उजागर किया। राष्ट्रीय कंपनी कानून न्यायाधिकरण (एनसीएलटी) ने दिवालया एवं दिवालियापन के सहित आईबीसी के तहत रोक लगाई, जिसमें 50 से अधिक लीजर्स कंपनी अपने विमान को वापस लेने में असमर्थ रहीं। इससे निवेशक का विश्वास हिल गया है, जिससे भारत विमान लीजर्स के लिए उच्च जोखिम वाला बाजार बन गया है। इसके फलस्वरूप भारतीय एयरलाइंस को अपने विदेशी समकक्षों की तुलना में 10 से 15 प्रतिशत से अधिक लीजिंग शुल्क देना पड़ा। सरकार के पास इस समस्या को हल करने के लिए वर्षों का समय था, लेकिन सरकार ने विधेयक को आईबीसी के अनुरूप नहीं रखा। अन्य देशों ने केपटाउन कन्वेंशन अपनाकर विमान पूर्ण प्राप्ति की प्रक्रिया तेज कर दी, लेकिन भारत में ऐसा कोई तत्काल प्रावधान मौजद नहीं है। मैडम, इस बिल की चर्चा के लिए आज फ्राइडे के दिन हम लोग सरकार के साथ पूरे सहयोग से खड़े हैं। मैडम, बस हम यही चाहते हैं कि सरकार भी हम लोगों की सहायता करे और EPIC वोटर कार्ड के मुद्दे पर जल्द से जल्द सदन में चर्चा हो। इस विधेयक को जिस तरह से पेश किया गया है, यह चिंता का विषय है। 17वीं लोक सभा में केवल 10 में से एक विधेयक को गहन समीक्षा के लिए भेजा गया और एक तिहाई को 60 मिनट से भी पहले पारित किया गया, यानी उनमें किसी प्रकार की चर्चा नहीं हुई। इस विधेयक को संविधान स्टैंडिंग कमेटी में भेजा जाना चाहिए, ताकि इसकी गहन समीक्षा हो सके। यदि सरकार वास्तविक तौर पर एविएशन सुधार पर गंभीर चिंता करती है, तो उसे उचित तौर पर समीक्षा की अनुमति देनी चाहिए। भारत का एविएशन सेक्टर गंभीर संकट से गुजर रहा है। साल 2024 में एयरलाइंस को 2,000 से लेकर 3,000 करोड़ का नुकसान हुआ। बढ़ते ईंधन मूल्य, कई बाधाएं, प्रबंधों की कमजोरियां एवं आपूर्ति श्रृंखला की रुकावट एयरलाइंस को वित्तीय संकट की ओर धकेल रहे हैं। इसका सबसे अधिक असर यात्रियों पर पड़ रहा है। खासकर पीक सीजन में हवाई किराया आसमान छू रहा है। हाल ही में महाकुम्भ में हवाई यात्रा का किराया दोगुना से तिगुना तक बढ़ गया था और एक-एक टिकट के लिए 50,000 से भी ज्यादा देना पड़ा था। फिर भी सरकार निगरानी करने का दावा करती है। टिकट की कीमतों पर नियंत्रण करने के लिए किसी भी प्रकार का नियम नहीं है। निजीकरण की स्थिति इतनी बिगड़ गई है कि त्रिवेंद्रम हवाई अड्डे पर यूडीएफ शुल्क 506 रुपये से बढ़कर 770 हो गया। इस पर भी सरकार ने कोई भी कदम नहीं उठाया। सरकार हवाई यात्रा को सुलभ बनाने के बजाय महंगा बना रही है। भारतीय एविएशन इंफ्रास्ट्रक्चर अपेक्षाकृत असुरक्षित है। 2023 में यात्रियों की संख्या में 39 प्रतिशत की वृद्धि हुई है, लेकिन एयरपोर्ट मैनेजमेंट बजट 12 प्रतिशत से घटकर 8.5 प्रतिशत हो गया। 2019 से 2024 के बीच में 11 बार एयरपोर्ट स्ट्रक्चर गिरने एवं 10 बार वर्षा से जल रिसाव की घटना सामने आई है। सरकार जब हवाई यात्रा के विस्तार के दावे कर रही है, तो ‘उड़ान योजना’ के अंतर्गत केवल आधे मार्ग क्यों हैं? तीन वर्षों के भीतर 114 मार्गों को बंद किया गया। देश भर के प्रमुख हवाई अड्डों पर 164 विमान परिचालन बाधाओं के कारण जमीन पर खड़े हैं। यदि इनका उपयोग होता है, तो हवाई किराया कम होगा एवं कनेक्टिविटी बेहतर होगी। पायलट की सुरक्षा – पायलट की सुरक्षा एक महत्वपूर्ण मुद्दा है। 2023 में दो भारतीय पायलटों की अत्यधिक कार्यभार एवं थकान के कारण मृत्यु हो गई। इस दुखद घटना के बावजूद कार्य समय पर करने के लिए कोई आवश्यक नए कदम एवं नियम नहीं बनाए गए। थकान संबंधित घटनाएं लगातार बढ़ती जा रही हैं। जब तक सख्त नियम लागू नहीं किए जाएंगे, तब तक पायलट एवं यात्री दोनों असुरक्षित रहेंगे। सरकार को किसी भी डिजास्टर से पहले आवश्यक कदम उठाना चाहिए। एविएशन केवल एयरलाइंस से नहीं, बल्कि सम्पर्क, रोजगार, पर्यटन, आर्थिक विकास से जुड़ा हुआ है। यदि इस समस्या का समाधान अभी नहीं किया गया, तो भारत एविएशन हब बनने का अवसर खो देगा। सरकार को बातें करने के बजाय ठोस कदम उठाने चाहिए। भारत को एक ऐसा एविएशन उद्योग चाहिए, जो सुरक्षित, किफायती एवं सुचारू हो और जिसमें प्रतिस्पर्धा हो। हम सरकार से कहना चाहते हैं कि वेस्ट बंगाल के साथ भेदभाव नहीं कीजिए। Civil Aviation Minister यहाँ उपस्थित हैं। मैं केन्द्र सरकार के माननीय मंत्री से कहना चाहता हूँ कि जल्द से जल्द कोलकाता से लंदन की flight के माध्यम से direct connectivity कराइए और हवाई सेवा को शुरू कराइए। धन्यवाद।
Thank you, Sir… My supplementary is this. India loses nearly 30 to 40 per cent of perishable agricultural produce due to inadequate cold storage and logistic infrastructure… This has led to consignments of Indian fresh fruits being rejected by foreign countries in the past three years. I want to know from the Government, through you, Sir: What step is the Government taking to improve cold chain storage and reduce post-harvest losses, particularly, for export-bound fresh fruits? Thank you, Sir
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। …
