The National Waterways Act, 2016 (Act no. 17 of 2016) is being the Act of Parliament was enacted in the 67th years of Republic of India with the aim and object to provide for the provisions to existing national waterways and also for making provisions for the declaration of certain inland waterways as National Waterways. Moreover, this enactment is also providing for the regulation and development of the said waterways for the connected purposes like of shipping and navigation, etc. This present Act as have been passed, has received the assent from the honourable President of India on 25th day of March, 2016.
This Act is dividing its all provisions into five sections and also in a schedule annexed to it. The first section being the introductory provision in this Act is providing for the short title as the Act to be called as the National Waterways Act, 2016, and for the commencement date, which the Central Government to notify.
The second provision in the Act is dealing with the existing national waterways as specified under serial no. 1 to 5 in the Schedule, and it is provided that the such waterways should subject to the modifications made under this Act, continue to be national waterways for the said purpose of shipping and navigation. Moreover, the regulation and development as have been vested with the Central Government of such waterways, should be continue as the same has been declared as national waterways under this Act. However, the other waterways as provided under serial no. 6 to 111 in the said schedule were declared under this Act as national waterways for the purposes of shipping and navigation. Moreover, section three provides for the taken over by the Union, of the regulation and development of the waterways specified in the Schedule for the purpose of shipping and navigation to the extent provided in the Inland Waterways Authority of India Act, 1985. Moreover, as per next provision the Parliament is provided with the authority to declare the national waterway under the provisions of the Inland Waterways Authority of India Act, 1985. And lastly, this Act is repealing the five existing Acts, namely, the National Waterway (Allahabad-Haldia Stretch of the Ganga Bhagirathi- Hooghly River) Act, 1982; the National Waterway (Sadiya-Dhubri Stretch of Brahmaputra River) Act, 1988; the National Waterway (Kollam-Kottapuram Stretch of West Coast Canal and Champakara and Udyogmandal Canals) Act, 1992; the National Waterway (Talcher-Dhamra Stretch of Rivers, Geonkhali- Charbatia Stretch of East Coast Canal, Charbatia-Dhamra Stretch of Matai River and Mahanadi Delta Rivers) Act, 2008; the National Waterway (Kakinada-Puducherry Stretch of Canals and the Kaluvelly Tank, Bhadrachalam-Rajahmundry Stretch of River Godavari and Wazirabad- Vijayawada Stretch of River Krishna) Act, 2008, saving their effects in the earlier time.