“It’s one step forward towards realizing Prime Minister’s vision of Digital India”, said Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping, Nitin Gadkari while inaugurating the system of online collection of light dues of the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL) here today.Till now, the mode of Light dues payment was only by way of physical payment. With a view to promote ease of business, a number of e-governance initiatives have been taken up by the Ministry of Shipping. As a part of the ongoing efforts, Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL) has now facilitated the payment of Light dues through online mode. Syndicate Bank has now been accredited to collect the Light dues through online banking. Online payment of Light-dues can be made by accessing the website of Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships or Syndicate Bank. The existing manual mode of payment of Light-dues will also co-exist.
Online collection will avoid the delay which normally arises in manual mode of payment and would facilitate the ship owners in obtaining prompt Light dues clearance from the Customs and Port Authorities. Faster clearance of ships and reduction in detention time of vessels for payment of Light dues by shipping agency/ship owner will further the cause of ease of business. DGLL had simplified the procedure for collection of Light dues in respect of Container Vessels in November 2014 by charging the dues based on TEU (Twenty Feet Equivalent Unit) instead of Net Registered Tonnage.
Speaking on the occasion, the Minister reiterated that Lighthouses and Islands would be linked with tourism. To turn Lighthouses tourist attractions, feasibility studies have been completed for Lighthouses at Mahablipuram, Chennai, Rameshwaram, Muttom (Kanyakumari), Kanhoji Angre, Konark, Dwarka, False Point (Odisha), Veraval (Gujarat), Gopalpur (Odisha), Aguada (GOA), Kaddalur Point (Kerala), Minicoy (Lakshwadweep), Sun Rock (Mumbai) and Dolphin’s Nose (Visakhapatnam). The Request for Proposal (RFP) has already been prepared for five Lighthouses at Kanhoji Angre, Chennai, Mahabalipuram, Sun Rock and Dolphin’s Nose.