This is true. There?s an Indian Boilers Act of 1923, and as reported in FE, 85 years on, amending the law is still proving tough. Could there be better proof that the state can act in incredibly strange ways? Is there a huge vested interest against reforming the Boilers Act? It has taken more than a decade for the amendment to pass Parliament?s muster, and the notification continues to be delayed even months after its passage. So, who?s the lobby? Who?s the establishment afraid of? The boiler inspectorate, if you please. Amending the Act will reduce the monopoly inspection powers of the boiler inspectors in states, which administer the Act, and allow the entry of independent inspection agencies. The Act, which applies to an extensive range of industries using boilers?including power plants, railways, paper, textiles, chemicals and food processing?was especially suffocating, as it vests boiler inspectors with the power to even stop operations. Decentralisation of inspection would have reduced corruption and sloth, and improved efficiency while absorbing more skilled manpower. But the big boys of the boiler lobby have persistently worked to keep change at bay, citing vague arguments like the dilution of power of the states and backdoor entry of private sector regulators.
The resistance to such a simple reform and the blocking power of inspectors are indicative of the enduring power of the inspector raj. At last count, a typical project had to secure 18 different licences from almost as many authorities to start operations. The process becomes even more complex while running the enterprise, with the management of every medium-sized company being forced to file as many as 42 different returns each year, some of which are annual or quarterly, and others even monthly. Though some states have sought to reform the system, decades of government control have moulded thoughts to suit the ancien regime. It is wrong to think that delays in such reforms may not do much damage only because there are many other issues to worry about as far as the country?s reform agenda is concerned. Industry and the economy perform below their best potential because of procedural horrors like this. Boiler inspectors holding the world?s second fastest growing economy back?that?s a thought.