The Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to the Ministry of Shipping met here today. The meeting was chaired by Shri G.K. Vasan, Minister of Shipping. The discussions focussed on Lighthouses and Lightships.
Welcoming the Members, the Minister of Shipping highlighted the importance of lighthouses in the present day context and the work being done by the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL) in facilitating the very important economic activity of guiding the vessels at Indian ports and ensuring their safety and security. The Minister informed the Members of Parliament that the Directorate through the Differential Global Positioning System (GPS) chain of 23 stations, provided at the lighthouses, seamlessly cover the Indian waters and provides better than five meters positional accuracy upto 100 Nautical Miles from the cost. He also informed that the ultimate objective of the Directorate is to provide a lighthouse at an interval of 30 Nautical Miles all along the coastlines and islands of India by 2017 so that a seamless visual and video coverage of the Indian coastline is available. The Directorate is in the process of establishing an offshore lighthouse (Lushington Shoal) about 20 Nautical Miles from Okha which will facilitate in reducing the voyage of Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) and Ultra-Large Crude Carriers (ULCCs) coming from the Gulf, by about 30 Nautical Miles.
The Directorate is also presently implementing Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) for the Gulf of Kachchh which is in final stages of completion. The partial trial run of the system has started from the Kandla Master Control Centre.
The Minister also informed the Members that after the terrorists attack of 26 November, 2008, the process of establishing a surveillance network using lighthouses has gained momentum which has expedited the establishment of an Automatic Identification System (AIS) Network which will enable the tracking of vessels up to 25 Nautical Miles from the Indian coasts. Lighthouses are also being used for the establishment of Radar Network. Combined together this will form the most formidable coastal surveillance network.
The DGLL is also establishing a Navtex Chain which will facilitate in broadcasting weather and safety related information – vital to mariners during natural disturbances.
A detailed presentation on lighthouses and lightships was also made to the Members of the Committee by the DGLL. The Members were informed that as per the Lighthouse Act, 1927, light dues are levied and collected on monthly basis in respect of any ship arriving at/departing from any port in India. The dues are collected at the rate of Rs.8/- per tonne on Foreign Going Vessels. The estimated collection for the current year is Rs.170 crores.
The Members were also informed about the achievements of this Sector in the 11th Plan. They include:
• Replacement of Lighthouse Tender Vessel MV Deepstambh.
• Automation of Lighthouses in Mumbai LH Distt.
• Establishment of 10 Lighthouses at Iskapalepallem, Honavar, Kundapur, Tadri, Satpati, Minicoy North, Mayabandar, Chidiyatapu, Mallipatnam and Poompuhar.
• Establishment of DGPS station at Rameshwaram.
• Establishment of 19 Radar Beacon (Racon)
• Restoration works after Tsunami
• Establishment of Vessel Traffic System (VTS) for Gulf of Kachchh. (Rs.165 crore)
• Establishment of National AIS Network. (Rs.75.2 crore)
• Remote Control & Automation of Lighthouses – Port Blair, Chennai, Cochin, Kolkata & Visakhapatnam Dist. (Rs.27 crore)
• Establishment of New Lighthouses at Maipura Point & Chilka (Odissa), Rava Port & Baruva (AP), Betul (Goa), Redii & Achara Point (Maharashtra) & Lushington Shoal (Gujarat). (Rs.25 crore)
• Restoration of Tsunami affected DGPS stations at Keating Point & Indira Point. (Rs.3 crore)
During the discussions, the Members raised a number of significant issues including speeding up of work at the Kandla Port, Automation of Lighthouses across the country, Identification of Shoals across the coastline, Marking of the International Boundary Line so as to protect the Indian fishermen, Development of Maritime Training Institutes, Disaster Management Plans, Piracy in Indian waters, Emergence of Lighthouses as high-tech areas with capability to contribute toward the country’s security requirements etc.
The meeting was attended by Shri Franscisco Cosme Sardinha, Shri Anirudhan Sampath, Shri Bibhu Prasad Tarai, Shri Dinu Bogha Solanki, Smt. Poonamben Veljibhai Jat, Shri Nalin Kumar Kateel and Shri J.M. Aaron Rashid of Lok Sabha.
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