Question : CLAIM OF LAND UNDER SEA

(a) Whether the Government propose to stake claim for taking 10 lakh square kilometres of additional oceanic territory beyond its existing special economic zone under the fresh review by the United Nations convention of law of the sea;

(b) If so, the details of thereof and the extent to which the claim has been accepted by the United Nations and is likely to be beneficial for expansion of mining, fishing and defence related operations of the country;

(c) Whether the sea survey has been completed;

(d) If so, the details thereof and the amount allocated for the survey during the last three years;

(e) Whether the Government propose to develop hi-tech unmanned submersible vehicle in the near future; and

(f) If so, the details thereof?

MINISTER FOR OCEAN DEVELOPMENT (DR. MURLI MANOHAR JOSHI)

(a) and (b) Yes Sir. The Government propose to claim the continental shelf in accordance with United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea. Claims in relation to the outer limits of the Continental Shelf have to be submitted to the Commission on the Limits of Continental Shelf (CLCS) within 10 years of entry into force of the Convention for that State. The Convention came into force on 16.11.94 and India ratified the same in June 1995. India thus must submit all the necessary data to the CLCS by June 2005.

The outer limits of the continental Shelf have to be established by physical survey which involves the determination of the water depth and foot of slope through bathymetry and sedimentary rock thickness through seismic reflection and refraction. After delineation India should be in a position to make exclusive claim on the continental shelf. This could provide India with an area of more than 10 lakh square kilometers of continental shelf beyond the EEZ.

The Department of Ocean Development has initiated steps to delineate and present claim before the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf within the prescribed time. In order to reduce cost every effort is being used to use the available data and to limit fresh survey to areas where data is not available. The Existing data is being currently processed to facilitate the survey. Fresh physical survey has not yet commenced.

(c) No Sir.

(d) The year wise allocation for the work during the last three years was as follows:

1997-98	Rs. 1 lakhs	1998-99	Rs. 50 lakhs	1999-2000	Rs. 4 crores