The Boilers Act, 2025

(1) This Act may be called the Boilers Act, 2025. (2) It shall come into force on such date1as the Central Government may, by notification in the OfficialGazette, appoint; and different dates may be appointed for different provisions of this Act and any referencein any provision to the commencement of this Act shall be construed as a reference to the coming into forceof that provision. (3) Save as otherwise expressly provided, the provisions of this Act shall apply to all boilers and boilercomponents including boilers and boiler components belonging to the Central Government and the StateGovernments. (4) Nothing in this Act shall apply to--- (a) locomotive boilers belonging to or under the control of the railways; (b) any boiler or boiler components,--- (i) in any vessel propelled wholly or in part by the agency of steam; (ii) belonging to or under the control of the Army, Navy or Air Force; or (iii) appertaining to a sterilizer or disinfector used in hospitals or nursing homes, if the boilerdoes not exceed one hundred litres in capacity.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,--- (a) "accident" means an explosion of boiler or boiler components, which is calculated to weakenthe strength or an uncontrolled release of water or steam therefrom, liable to cause death or injury toany person or damage to any property; (b) "Board" means the Central Boilers Board constituted under section 3; (c) "boiler" means a pressure vessel in which steam is generated for use external to itself byapplication of heat which is wholly or partly under pressure when steam is shut off but does not includea pressure vessel,--- (i) with capacity less than twenty-five litres, such capacity being measured from the feed checkvalve to the main steam stop valve; or (ii) with less than one kilogram per centimetre square design gauge pressure and working gaugepressure; or (iii) in which water is heated below one hundred degrees centigrade; (d) "boiler components" means steam piping, feed piping, economiser, superheater, any mountingor other fitting and any other external or internal part of a boiler which is subject to pressure exceedingone kilogram per centimetre square gauge. Explanation.--- For the purposes of this clause, the term "superheater" means any equipment whichis partly or wholly exposed to flue gases for the purpose of raising the temperature of steam beyond thesaturation temperature at that pressure and includes a re-heater; (e) "Chief Inspector", "Deputy Chief Inspector" and "Inspector", mean, respectively, a personappointed to be a Chief Inspector, a Deputy Chief Inspector and an Inspector under section 5; (f) "competent authority" means an institution referred to in sub-section (1) of section 6; (g) "competent person" means an inspector or a person recognised in such manner as may bespecified by regulations, for inspection and certification of boilers and boiler components duringmanufacture, erection and use; (h) "economiser" means any part of a feed-pipe that is wholly or partially exposed to the action offlue gases for the purpose of recovery of waste heat; (i) "feed-pipe" means any pipe or connected fitting wholly or partly under pressure through whichfeed water passes directly to a boiler and which does not form an integral part thereof; (j) "inspecting authority" means a chief inspector or an institution recognised in such manner asmay be specified by regulations, for the inspection and certification of boilers and boiler componentsduring manufacture and erection; (k) "manufacture" means manufacture, construction and fabrication of boiler or boiler components,or both; (l) "manufacturer" means a person engaged in the manufacture of boiler or boiler components, orboth; (m) "notification" means a notification published in the Official Gazette; (n) "owner" includes any person possessing or using a boiler as agent of the owner thereof and anyperson using a boiler which he has hired or obtained on loan from the owner thereof; (o) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act; (p) "regulations" means regulations made by the Board under section 40; (q) "State Government" shall include Union territory administration; (r) "steam-pipe" means any pipe through which steam passes, if--- (i) the pressure at which steam passes through such pipe exceeds three and half kilogram persquare centimeters above atmospheric pressure; or (ii) such pipe exceeds two hundred fifty-four millimeters in internal diameter and the pressureof steam exceeds one kilogram per square centimeters above the atmospheric pressure, and includes in either case, any connected fitting of a steam-pipe and feed-pipe; (s) "structural alteration, addition or renewal" means,--- (i) any change in the design of a boiler or boiler components; (ii) replacement of any part of boiler or boiler components by a part which does not conformto the same specification; or (iii) any addition to any part of a boiler or boiler components; (t) "Technical Adviser" means the Technical Adviser appointed under sub-section (1) of section 4.

(1) The Central Government may, by notification, constitute a Board tobe called the Central Boilers Board, for the purposes of this Act. (2) The Board shall consist of the following members, namely:--- (a) the Secretary to the Government of India in charge of the Department having administrativecontrol of the Board who shall be the Chairperson, ex officio; (b) one member to represent each State, other than Union territory, who shall be a senior technicalofficer conversant with the inspection and examination of boilers, to be nominated by that StateGovernment; (c) members, equal in number to members nominated under clause (b), to be nominated by the Central Government, to represent the following, namely:--- (i) the Central Government; (ii) the Bureau of Indian Standards; (iii) boiler and boiler components manufactures; (iv) National laboratories; (v) engineering consultancy agencies; (vi) users of boilers; and (vii) such other interests which, in the opinion of the Central Government, ought to berepresented on the Board; (d) Technical Adviser, who shall be the Member-Secretary, ex officio. (3) The term of office of the members nominated under clauses (b) and (c) of sub-section (2), and themanner of their nomination, shall be such as may be prescribed by the Central Government. (4) The Board may determine its own procedure for the conduct of all business to be transacted by it. (5) The Board shall have power to constitute committees and sub-committees from amongst itsmembers and to delegate any of its powers and duties to such committees or sub-committees. (6) The powers of the Board may be exercised notwithstanding any vacancy in the Board. (7) The functions of the Board shall be to regulate the design, manufacture, erection and use of boilerand boiler components to ensure safety of life and property of persons from the danger of explosions ofsteam-boilers and for uniformity in registration and inspection and for these purposes, make suchregulations as it deems fit.

(1) The Central Government shall, by notification, appoint a TechnicalAdviser from amongst the persons having such qualifications and experience as may be prescribed by theCentral Government. (2) The salary and allowances and other terms and conditions of service of the Technical Adviser shallbe such as may be prescribed by the Central Government. (3) The Technical Adviser shall, in addition to exercising the powers and discharging the functionsassigned to him under this Act and the rules and regulations made thereunder, exercise such other powersand discharge such functions as the Central Government and the Board may delegate to him.

(1) The State Government may appointsuch persons as it thinks fit to be Inspectors for the State for the purposes of this Act and may define thelocal limits within which each Inspector shall exercise the powers and perform the duties conferred andimposed on Inspectors by or under this Act. (2) The State Government may appoint such persons as it thinks fit to be Deputy Chief Inspectors forthe State and may define the local limits within which each Deputy Chief Inspector shall exercise powersand perform duties under this Act. (3) A Deputy Chief Inspector may exercise the powers and perform the duties conferred and imposedon an Inspector by or under this Act and, in addition thereto, may exercise such powers or perform suchduties conferred or imposed on the Chief Inspector by or under this Act, as the State Government mayassign to him. (4) The State Government shall appoint a person to be the Chief Inspector for the State who may, inaddition to the powers and duties conferred and imposed on a Chief Inspector by or under this Act, exerciseany power or perform any duty so conferred or imposed on Deputy Chief Inspectors or Inspectors. (5) No person shall be appointed as a Chief Inspector, or Deputy Chief Inspectors or Inspectors, unlesshe possesses such qualifications and experience as may be prescribed by the Central Government. (6) Subject to the provisions of this Act, the Deputy Chief Inspectors and Inspectors shall exercise thepowers and perform the duties conferred and imposed on them by or under this Act under the generalsuperintendence and control of the Chief Inspector. (7) The Chief Inspector, Deputy Chief Inspectors and Inspectors may offer such advice as they thinkfit to the owners regarding the proper maintenance and safe working of boilers. (8) The Chief Inspector, Deputy Chief Inspectors and Inspectors shall exercise such other powers andduties as may be prescribed by the State Government. (9) The Chief Inspector, Deputy Chief Inspectors and Inspectors shall be deemed to be public servantswithin the meaning of clause (28) of section 2 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (45 of 2023).