Rajya Sabha passes Coastal Shipping Bill amid disruptions

The Rajya Sabha passed the Coastal Shipping Bill on Thursday (August 7, 2025) amid protests by Opposition members who were demanding a discussion on the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.

The Lok Sabha had passed the Bill during the Budget Session. Moving the Bill, Union Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said the legislation will reduce the compliance burden for Indian ships and will unlock the full potential of country’s coastline. He said the Bill is also in tune with the concept of ease of doing business and ensures supply chain security for the country.

“It will unlock the full potential of India’s coastline… To support the goal of growing India’s coastal cargo share to 230 million tonne by 2030 we need a framework that minimises regulations while maximising facilitation of growth opportunity in coastal tracks,” Mr. Sonowal said. He said the Bill replaces the Merchant Shipping Act of 1958 and provides a holistic, forward looking and progressive framework suited to today’s commercial realities in line with globally prevalent practices.

About eight members participated in the brief debate on the Bill during the ruckus and Vice-Chairman Ghanshyam Tiwari, who was on the Chair, put the Bill to vote amid disruptions.

Meanwhile, in the morning, the session of Rajya Sabha was shut down within minutes following protests from the Opposition demanding a debate on SIR. The Opposition parties had moved 25 notices asking for debate on various issues including the SIR.

The Deputy Chairman rejected all the notices, leading to an uproar. Mr. Harivansh pointed out that 51 hours and 30 minutes have been lost to disturbances so far during the ongoing Monsoon session of Parliament. He urged the protesting members to let the House function so that MPs could raise their issues through Zero Hour mentions. However, the Opposition did not relent, leading to adjournment of the proceedings till 2 pm.