Bare Act
The Canals and Public Ferries (Amendment) Act, 1939
The Canals and Public Ferries (Amendment) Act, 1939 provides a legal framework for governing state waterways, canal lines, and ferry crossings. It authorizes the government to declare specific channels as public canals or ferries, require the mandatory licensing and registration of boats and barges, establish toll stations, and assign waterway management to local boards or municipal councils. For ordinary citizens, commuters, and boat owners, the Act maintains navigation safety, sets clear toll standards, mandates clear public notice board displays of official fees, protects private ferry owners by granting fair compensation when private rights are acquired, and penalizes illegal toll collection or safety breaches.
- 1. Short title and commencement
- 2. Repeal
- 3. Definitions
- 4. Power to declare any line of navigation to be subject to this Act
- 5. Vessels to be licensed or registered as directed by Government
- 6. Power to fix fees and to establish toll-stations
- 7. Power of person duly authorized to impose punishment for breach of condition of licence and prosecution for obstruction or with navigation in contravention of Act
- 7A. Power to declare that ferries not being public ferries be subject to rules for safety of passengers
- 8. Power to declare any ferry to be subject to Act and define limits of ferry
- 9. Application of Act to existing rights of ferry
- 10. Power to provide for management of ferries and fix rates of tolls
- 11. Power to assign management of canal to district board or municipal council
- 12. Power to appoint persons to collect tolls or fees and to lease out collection thereof
- 13. Procedure in case of non-payment of toll, etc., on demand
- 14. What payments may be recovered as arrears of revenue
- 15. Form, etc., of licences and registrations
- 16. Power to make rules
- 17. Penalty for breach of rule
- 18. Penalty for navigating a canal or establishing or working a ferry in contravention of section 6, 7-A or 9
- 19. Penalty for evasion of toll or fee and for unauthorized levy of toll, etc.
- 20. Power of Court to order confiscation
- 21. Delegation of powers
PDF: pending for this language.