(1) The owner or operator may enrol, by submitting the details of the ownership of non-mechanically propelled inland vessel, undertaking that the vessel is put into motion by solely employing human labour and such other details as may be prescribed by the State Government, at the office of the authorised department, which is located nearest to the place of residence of the owner or area of plying of the non-mechanically propelled inland vessel, in such form and manner as may be prescribed by the State Government.
(2) The form prescribed by the State Government under sub-section (1) shall be published in the respective vernacular language, apart from Hindi or English, as the case may be.
(3) For the purposes of identification and categorisation of non-mechanically propelled inland vessels, to be enrolled in accordance with the provisions of sub-section (1), the State Government shall publish such criteria for categorisation which may include the size, purpose of employment, age, construction, design or such other criteria of the vessels.
(4) The enrolment of non-mechanically propelled inland vessels shall be a prerequisite for such vessels to be entitled for the benefits and preferential treatment accorded under this Chapter.
(5) The details of the enrolled vessels shall be recorded in the registry of enrolment and be reported by the offices of lowest order in the hierarchy of power to the highest hierarchy and the collated list of enrolled vessels shall be maintained by the office of District Magistrate or such officer appointed or authorised under this Chapter, for the said purpose.
(6) The State Government shall maintain a central data base to record the details of the nonmechanically propelled inland vessel enrolled within the respective jurisdiction, in such form and manner as may be prescribed by it.
(7) The lowest ranking officer of the office of the authorised department shall report of any change to the registry of enrolment maintained by him and bring to the notice of the authority higher in the hierarchical order, and the changes shall be brought out accordingly, in every such register maintained by the respective authorities including the central data base maintained by the Principal Secretary or Secretary of the State Government.