The Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to the ministry of shipping met on Dcemeber 8th 2010. The meeting was chaired by Mr GK 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 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 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 and Ultra-Large Crude Carriers coming from the Gulf, by about 30 Nautical Miles.
The Directorate is also presently implementing Vessel Traffic Service 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 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 INR 8 per tonne on Foreign Going Vessels. The estimated collection for the current year is INR 170 crores.
