July 13, 2020: Bill provides for empowering Directorate-General of Lighthouses & Lightships with additional functions such as Vessel Traffic Service, etc.
In accordance with the Prime Minister’s vision for augmenting people’s participation and transparency in governance, the Ministry of Shipping has issued the draft of the Aids to Navigation Bill, 2020 for suggestions from the stakeholders and general public.
The draft bill is proposed to replace the almost nine decades old Lighthouse Act, 1927, to incorporate global best practices, technological developments and India’s international obligations in aids to marine navigation.
Union Minister of State for Shipping (Independent Charge) Mr Mansukh Mandaviya said this initiative is part of the proactive approach adopted by the Ministry of Shipping by repealing archaic colonial laws and replacing them with modern and contemporary needs of the maritime industry. He pointed out that suggestions from the public and stakeholders will strengthen the provisions of the legislation, and added that the bill aims to regulate state-of-the-art technologies in marine navigation.
The draft bill provides for empowering the Directorate-General of Lighthouses & Lightships (DGLL) with additional functions such as Vessel Traffic Service, wreck flagging, training and certification, and implementation of other obligations under international conventions where India is a signatory. It also provides for identification and development of heritage lighthouses.
The draft bill comprises a new schedule of offences, along with commensurate penalties for obstructing and damaging the aids to navigation, and non-compliance with directives issued by the Central government and other bodies under the bill.
With the advent of modern and technologically improved aids to maritime navigation, the role of authorities regulating and operating maritime navigation has changed drastically. Therefore, the new law encompasses a major shift from lighthouses to modern aids to navigation.
The draft bill has been uploaded on the Directorate-General of Lighthouses & Lightships’
website http://www.dgll.nic.in/Content/926_3_dgll.gov.in.aspx, where citizens can submit their suggestions and opinions regarding the bill to atonbill2020@gmail.com latest by July 24, 2020, informed a communiqué.
Source: EXIM India Online
