2. Definitions
(1) ‘Vessel’ includes any ship, barge, boat, raft, timber, bamboos or floating materials propelled in any manner;
(2) ‘Channel’ includes any waterway, whether natural or artificial;
(3) ‘Ferry’ means a place at which goods, animals or passengers are conveyed across a channel by means of vessels;
(4) ‘Conveyance’ includes all carriages, carts palanquins and manchals.
(5) ‘Municipality’ means a town panchayat, a municipal council or a municipal corporation constituted under section 4 of the Kerala Municipality Act, 1994 (20 of 1994).
(6) ‘village panchayat’ means a village panchayat, constituted under section 4 of the Kerala Panchayat Raj Act, 1994 ( 13 of 1994).A municipality or a village panchayat to establish ferries and toll gates:--16B[A municipality or a village panchayat may with the prior permission of the Government establish ferries across any channel and toll gates on any road at such points as may be selected, and shall maintain or cause to be maintained vessels for carrying passengers, goods or animals across such ferries, and forbid, within such limits as may be prescribed, the transport of passengers, goods or animals across such channel in any vessel except in such as are maintained as aforesaid, and the passage of conveyance or animals except through such toll-gates.
Transfer of existing ferries to Municipalities and Village panchayats.—All the existing ferries of the Government shall by virtue of this section be transferred to the concerned Municipality or the Village Panchayat as the case may be, for management
16A[4.Management of ferries and collection of ferry charges and tolls:--Wherever any such ferries and toll-gates shall have been established under Section 3 or transferred under section 3 A the village panchayat or municipality may lease out the right of levying ferry charges and tolls or appoint such persons as it thinks fit to take charge of and manage such ferries and toll gates and to collect such ferry charges and tolls under this Act. If such right is leased out the lessee or his duly authorised agent shall thereupon be empowered to collect such ferry charges and tolls in the like manner as any person appointed as aforesaid and they shall maintain such vessels for the use of the ferry as may be directed by the village panchayat or municipality.
16B[5.A municipality, or a village panchayat to fix rates for ferry charges tolls:--16C. The municipality or the village panchayat may from time to time, by notification fix and vary the rates for ferry charges payable for conveying passengers, goods, conveyance or animals passing through such toll-gates.
A notification of such ferry charges shall be at all times exhibited to public view on each side of the ferry and of such tolls at the tollgate in the Malayalam and English languages.
6. Penalty for non-Payment of ferry charges and tolls:--If any ferry charge or toll due under the provisions of this Act is not paid on demand to the lessee or his agent or as the case may be to the person appointed by 16c[a municipality or a village panchayat as aforesaid, such lessee or his agent or such person may seize any goods conveyance or animals chargeable with such ferry charge or toll and detain the same and he shall, within 24 hours of such seizure has been made or other public officer duly authorised 16c a municipality or a village panchayat in that behalf, unless such charge or toll has been paid in the meantime; and, on receipt of this report, the Tahsildar or other officer as aforesaid shall cause to be put up at his office a notice appointing a day for the sale of the said goods, conveyance or animals, The sale shall be held at some period not less than 15 days from the date of publication of notice of sale; and, if the ferry charge or toll and any expenses occasioned by its non-payment be not paid, or sufficient cause for non-payment be not shown, at or before the time of sale, to the Tahsildar or other officer as aforesaid, such officer shall sell the goods, conveyance or animals seized, or so much thereof as may be approximately necessary to pay the ferry charge or toll, and also any expenses occasioned by non-payment . So much of the properties seized as may not have been sold and so much of the sale proceeds as may be in excess of the sum necessary for satisfying the ferry charge or toll and for carrying the expenses occasioned by non-payment, shall be returned to the person in charge of the goods, conveyance or animal.
7. Security may be required from lessee of ferries:-Whenever any ferry shall have been leased out 16A[ a Municipality or a village panchayat security to be deposited by the lessee for the maintenance of proper vessels, servants, and appliances. It shall be lawful for any officer authorised by the 16B [a Municipality or a village panchayat in that behalf to inspect such vessels, servants and appliance, and to satisfy himself as to their fitness for otherwise for the business of the ferry, and to report thereon to a municipality or a village panchayat.
7A. Power to take action for default by a Village Panchayat or a Muncipality:-
(1) If any time, it appears to the Government that a Village Panchayat or a Muncipality has made default in performing any duty imposed by or under this Act or in carrying out any orders lawfully issued by the Government, the Government may , by order in writing, fix a period for the performance of such duty, or the carrying out of such order.
(2) If such duty is not performed or such order is not carried out within the period fixed under sub-section(1), the Government may, after giving a reasonable opportunity to the Village Panchayat or Municipality as the case may be to explain why further action under this section may not be pursued, appoint any officer or authority to perform the duty or to carry out the functions and may direct that the expenses incurred therefore shall be paid from the fund of the Village Panchayat or the Municipality as the case may be within such time as may be specified by the Government.
8. Procedure in case of defective management of ferries leased out- Whenever 16c[ a municipality or a village panchayat is satisfied that the vessels, or applicants of any ferry which has been leased out are unsafe or insufficient or that such ferry is not duly manned 16d[it shall by notice call upon the lessee to male good the within a reasonable time and inform him that, at the expiration of such fixed in the notice, he will be liable, in the event of non compliance, to his lease cancelled and to have the deficiency complained of made good his own expense, If the lessee shall not comply with the terms of the notice 16c[a municipality or a village panchayat shall be at liberty to make good the deficiency at the expense of the lessee and to cancel his lease.
9 Recovery of expenses incurred on account of defaulting lessee :--In case the Government shall have incurred any expense on behalf of the lessee under the preceding section, the same may be deducted from the security deposited by the lessee, or recovered as an arrear of land revenue.
10 Penalty for evasion of ferry charge or toll and for unauthorised levy of toll, etc--Any person who refuses or evades the payment of any ferry charge or toll payable under this Act or without due authority levies any ferry charge or toll under colour of this Act or being empowered to collect ferry charges or tolls under this Act collects or receives any sum in excess of the lawful due or infringes any right of ferry or toll-gate 1[or plies any boat or other vessels for transporting passengers goods or animals within the limits of a ferry or toll-gate prescribed under section 3 and contrary to the provisions of section 3 of this Act) shall be punished on conviction before a Magistrate with fine which may extend to fifty rupees or with simple imprisonment in lieu of fine which may extend to one month.
11 Power of Magistrate to order confiscation.--When a Magistrate has found that an offence under this Act has been proved he may order that any vessel or other thing used in commission, of such offence shall be confiscated.
12 Mode of recovering fine:--All fines imposed under this Act may be recovered in the manner prescribed by the Code of Criminal Procedure.
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16A Substituted by Act 16 of 2000
16B Substituted by Act 16 of 2000
16B. Substituted by Act 16 of 2000.
16C Substituted by Act 16 of 2000.
16d Substituted by Act 16 of 2000.
16c.Substituted by Act 16 of 2000.