The National Assembly, the Upper House of Federal Parliament, on Monday, June 9, unanimously passed the Ship (Operation and Management) Bill, 2081 BS.

The motion to endorse the bill, tabled by Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Devendra Dahal, received unanimous support from lawmakers.

Before its endorsement, the Assembly also unanimously approved a separate motion presented by Minister Dahal to open the bill for discussion alongside the Legislative Management Committee’s report. Lawmakers Suresh Kumar Alemagar, Rukmini Koirala, Tara Man Swar, Dr. Beduram Bhusal and Bishnu Bahadur Bishokarma participated in the deliberations.

In response to queries raised during the discussion, Minister Dahal said the bill would lay the legal foundation for operating vessels on Nepal’s internal waterways and pave the way for the country to access the sea  via these waterways. 

The bill was tabled in the Upper House on February 6.

(With inputs from RSS)