The Tamil Nadu Outports Landing and Shipping Fees Act, 1885

This Act may be called the (Tamil Nadu) Outports Landing and Shipping Fees Act, 1886. It shall come into force in any port within the State of Tamil Nadu from such date as the Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, direct.

The Madras Pier Act, 1863, and the Madras Pier Amendment Act, 1871, are repealed.

In this Act, unless there shall be something repugnant in the subject or context,--

1. (1) " port " means the space within such limits as may from time to time be defined by the Government for the purposes of this Act by notification in the Official Gazette, and until a notification is so issued within such limits as may have been defined by the Government under the provisions of Act XII of 1875 (Indian Ports Act) ;
2. (2) " vessel " denotes anything made for the conveyance by water of human beings or property ;
3. (3) " Drift " includes timber or other floating matter whether the same is in the possession or under the control of any person or not ;
4. (4) " owner," when used in relation to goods, or drift includes any consignor, consignee, shipper or agent for the sale, custody, landing or shipping of such goods or drift ;
5. (5) the word " goods " includes wares and merchandise of every description and carts, carriages, animals, baggage and other articles ;
6. (6) " Government " or " the Government " means, in relation to a port which is a major port within the meaning of the Indian Ports Act, 1908, the Central Government and, in relation to any other port, the State Government.

Landing and shipping fees, according to the rates which may be fixed by the Government from time to time may be levied upon all passengers and goods landed from or shipped into any vessel lying or being within the limits of any port within the State of Tamil Nadu to which this Act may be applied. Such fees shall be payable in addition to all tolls and charges now lawfully levied within such port : Provided that the Government may, by general or special orders, exempt any class or classes of passengers or goods from payment of fees under this Act, and may, in special cases, remit the whole or any portion of any charge levied under this section.

Such rate shall be notified in the Official Gazette at least one month before the date from which the same shall become payable, and shall be legibly painted in the English, Tamil, Telugu and Hindustani languages on boards exhibited at the places appointed under section 6.

The Government may from time to time make rules-

1. (a) appointing places where goods or particular classes of goods intended for shipment or landed from ships within the port are to be placed for the purpose of assessing the fees payable under this Act and places where passengers may land or embark ;
2. (b) regulating the manner in which such fees shall be assessed and the time when they shall be paid ;
3. (c) providing for the ascertainment and recovery of the amount of any damage that may be caused to a pier, jetty, wharf, quay or other work in a port by any person or by any vessel or drift ;
4. (d) generally for carrying out the purposes of this Act. Such rules and any alteration or cancellation thereof, shall be published in the Official Gazette, and shall thereupon have the force of law.

The Government shall appoint an officer of Government to levy and receive all fees payable under this Act, and to pay the same into such treasury, and keep such accounts as the Government may from time to time prescribe. The officer so appointed may, with the sanction of the Government, appoint such persons as he shall think fit to assist him in carrying out the provisions of this Act, all of whom shall wear a distinguishing badge of a kind to be prescribed by such officer.

It shall be lawful for the officer of Government appointed under this Act or any of his assistants to detain any such goods until the lawful fees are paid; it shall be the duty of such officer to give notice in writing to the owner or consignee if known, stating the amount of fees and charges payable in respect of such goods, and, in the event of such payment being refused or delayed for the space of fourteen days from the date of such notice if the owner or consignee of such goods shall be in the port concerned, or otherwise for the space of one calendar month from the date on which such fees are payable, it shall be lawful for such officer of Government to sell or cause to be sold by public auction the said goods, and after paying the expenses of such detention and sale and double the amount of the fees by way of a fine, to pay the surplus, if any, of the proceeds of the sale to the owner or consignee or other person entitled thereto, if claimed within six months from the date of sale : Provided that, if the goods are of a perishable nature, the said officer of Government may sell the same or cause them to be sold at such earlier period being not less than twenty-four hours after the landing of the goods as he shall think fit.

Where any vessel or drift fouls a pier, jetty, wharf or quay and causes damage thereto, the owner or master of the vessel or the owner of the drift, as the case may be, shall be liable for the amount of such damage which may be ascertained and recovered, in accordance with rules made by the Government, either by seizure and sale of such vessel or drift and of any property thereon or in such other manner as may be prescribed.

1. (1) The law for the time being in force for the punishment of offences relating to the levy or payment of duties of sea-customs and for the reward of informers shall, as far as may be, apply to similar offences committed in respect of fees leviable under this Act.
2. (2) Save as provided in sub-section
3. (1) any contravention of any rule made under this Act shall be punishable with fine not exceeding one hundred rupees.