14. Power to inspect local aids to navigation.— (1) The Central Government may authorise any
officer referred to in sub-section (1) of section 4 in writing, to enter upon at any time and inspect any
local aid to navigation and make such inquiries in respect thereof or of the management thereof as such
officer thinks fit.
(2) Every person having the charge of, or concerned in the management of, any local aid to navigation
shall furnish to the officer authorised under sub-section (1) to inspect such aid to navigation, all such
information as the officer may require.
(3) Every local authority shall furnish to the Central Government all such returns and other
information in respect of the aids to navigation under its supervision and management, or of any of them,
as the Central Government may require.
15. Control of local aids to navigation by Central Government.— (1) If the Central Government is
satisfied, after an inspection under section 14 or such other inquiry, that a direction under this sub-section
is necessary or expedient for the safety, or otherwise, in the interests of vessels, it may direct any local
authority—
(a) to remove or discontinue or to refrain from moving or discontinuing any aid to navigation under
its superintendence and management or to make or refrain from making any variation in the character
or mode of use of any such aid to navigation; or
(b) to erect, place or maintain, or to refrain from erecting, placing or maintaining any aid to
navigation within the local limits within which the local authority exercises its powers.
(2) A local authority shall not erect, place, remove or discontinue any aid to navigation or vary the
character or mode of use of any aid to navigation, unless it has given to the Central Government at least
one month’s notice in writing of its intention so to do:
Provided that, in cases of emergency, a local authority may take such action as it deems necessary and
shall give immediate notice of the same to the Central Government and, so far as is possible, to all vessels
approaching or in the vicinity of such aid to navigation.
(3) If any local authority—
(a) fails to comply with any direction made under sub-section (1); or
(b) fails to exercise or perform, or exercises or performs in an improper, inefficient or unsuitable
manner, any power or duty relating to the superintendence or management of any aid to navigation
conferred or imposed upon it by or under any law for the time being in force; or
(c) fails to make adequate financial provision for the performance of any such duty,
the Central Government may, by order in writing, require such local authority to comply with the
direction, or to make arrangements to the satisfaction of that Government for the proper exercise of the
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power or performance of the duty, or to make financial provision to the satisfaction of that Government
for the performance of the duty, as the case may be, within such period as it may specify.
(4) If the local authority fails to comply with an order made under sub-section (3) within the specified
period or within such further time as the Central Government may allow, the Central Government may
exercise the power or perform the duty or make the requisite financial provision, as the case may be, and
the local authority shall be liable to reimburse to the Central Government any expenditure incurred by it
in so doing.
16. Management of local aids to navigation by Central Government.— The Central Government
may, at the request of a local authority, undertake the superintendence and management of any local aids
to navigation on its behalf, and the local authority shall pay to the Central Government such sums to
defray the cost of superintendence and management, as may be agreed.