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* The Indian Boilers (Amendment) Bill
The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar (Labour Member), Sir, I move :
“That the Bill further to amend the Indian Boilers Act, 1923, be taken into consideration.”
This measure is a very simple measure. It is a non-controversial measure and it does not involve any matter of principle. Having regard to these considerations, I do not propose to deal at any very great length in explaining the provisions of the Bill. It will be sufficient if I tell the house the circumstances which have led Government to bring in this amending Bill. Briefly, the circumstances are these.
On the 23rd February 1942 there occurred in a mill in Bombay a boiler accident which resulted in a very serious loss of life. When this accident occurred, an enquiry was made by the Government of Bombay in order to ascertain the cause of this accident. It was found as a result of the enquiry that the explosion was due to something that was wrong in the apparatus which is called an “economiser”. To put it specifically, it was pointed out that the tubes of the economiser, which I understand are technically called “feed pipes”, had been weakened as a result of long internal corrosion. This result of the enquiry came as a matter of surprise to Government because under the Indian Boilers Act, 1923 there is a provision made for the Boiler Inspector to regularly inspect boilers and issue certificates that the boilers were in working order. The question arises as to how the boiler Inspector permitted himself to issue a certificate, knowing that the feed pipes of the economiser had become unfit for work. It was then found out that having regard to the regulations issued under section 28 of the Indian Boilers Act, it was not the duly of the boiler Inspector to examine the feed pipes or any other auxiliary apparatus that was connected with
*Legislative Assembly Debates (Central), Vol. III, 29th July 1943, pp. 176-77.