News Highlight
The draft Geo-heritage Sites and Geo-relics (Preservation and Maintenance) Bill gives the GSI the power to declare sites as having ‘geo-heritage’ value.
Key Takeaway
- A draft Bill intended to conserve India’s geological heritage, which includes fossils, sedimentary rocks, and natural formations.
- In addition, it has alarmed the geosciences and palaeontology communities in India.
Draft Bill to Protect Geo-heritage Sites and Geo-relics, 2022
- About
- Ministry of Mines has released the draft Geoheritage Sites and Geo-relics (Preservation and Maintenance) Bill, 2022.
Key Provisions of the Bill
- Declaration of Geoheritage Sites
- A site may be designated as a geoheritage site of national interest by the central government.
- As well as, Geoheritage sites must have geological elements such as geo-relics or natural rock sculptures.
- Furthermore, Geo-relics are relics that can be moved, such as fossils or meteorites.
- Protection of Geoheritage Sites
- Firstly, the draft Bill allows the federal government to acquire, conserve, and maintain geoheritage sites.
- The Director General of the Geological Survey of India will be given these duties, which include surveying and excavation.
- Additionally, construction will be restricted in these places.
- However, the Director General may grant permission to maintain the site or repair a structure that predates the site’s declaration.
- Protection of Geo-Relics
- The central government may rule that a geo-relic cannot be transferred from its location without the permission of the Director General.
- Furthermore, the Director General may order geo-relic acquisition to safeguard it.
Offences and Penalties
- Offences
- Destruction or misuse of a geoheritage site
- Illegal construction
- Damaging/illegally moving a geo-relic.
- Penalty
- These offences are punishable by a fine of up to 5 lakh rupees or six months in prison, or both.
Need and features of the Act
- Firstly, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has identified around 32-34 geoheritage sites in India.
- In addition, it includes volcanogenic minerals in Andhra Pradesh and wood fossils in Tamil Nadu.
- According to experts, simply listing these sites on a list does not guarantee their protection.
- Moreover, the proposed Bill allows the Union government to declare a geological site to be of national interest, bringing it under the jurisdiction of the law.
- Once proclaimed, respondents have two months to express any objections before the government moves to acquire the site’s land under the Land Acquisition Act.
- As a default, the 100 metres around the site are deemed a “prohibited area,” and 200 metres around the site is a “restricted area“, according to the proposed Bill.
Concerns over the proposed law
- Firstly, the Geological Survey of India (GSI), which reports to the Ministry of Mines, is given complete authority under the Bill.
- Instead, in 2019, numerous geoscientists proposed to the government to create a broad-based National Geoheritage Authority.
- The new proposed Bill grants the Union government the authority to denotify geoheritage sites if it considers they have “ceased to be of national importance” without public input.
- Geologists are concerned about this.
- The Bill makes no provision for monuments in territories covered by the Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act of 1996.
- In addition, it grants these areas unique governance processes and property rights.
Conclusion
- The Union government has drafted a draught Bill on the preservation, protection, and maintenance of geo-heritage sites for the first time since independence.
- The Ministry of Mines developed the Bill, which has been made public for stakeholders to provide recommendations and advice by January 14.
- Furthermore, the draft Bill calls for the designation, preservation, protection, and upkeep of geo-heritage sites, with GSI serving as a nodal body.
Pic Courtesy: The Hindu
Content Source: The Hindu