The draft Geospatial Information Regulation Bill, 2016 states, “Whoever depicts, disseminates, publishes or distributes any wrong or false topographic information of India including international boundaries in contravention of section 6, shall be punished with a fine ranging from Rupees ten lac to Rupees one hundred crore and / or imprisonment for a period up to seven years.”

“Whoever acquires any geospatial information of India in contravention of the law shall be punished with a fine ranging from Rs 1 crore to Rs 100 crore and/or imprisonment for a period up to seven years,” according to the draft Bill.

Online map service providers like Google and others may soon have to get license to operate as per the new Geospatial Information Regulation draft bill 2016.

The draft bill says, "No person shall depict, disseminate, publish or distribute any wrong or false topographic information of India including international boundaries through internet platforms or online services or in any electronic or physical form. Whoever acquired any geospatial information of India in contravention of the law shall be punished with a fine ranging from Rs 1 crore to Rs 100 crore and or imprisonment for a period up to seven years."

"Every person who has already acquired any geospatial imagery or data of any part of India either through space or aerial platforms such as satellite, aircrafts, airships, balloons, unmanned aerial vehicles or terrestrial vehicles or any other manner including value addition prior to coming of this Act into effect, shall within one year from the commencement of this Act, make an application along with requisite fees to the Security Vetting Authority for retaining such geospatial information and grant of licence thereof," adds the draft.

Sanket Gupta, product manager, Google Maps said, "I am yet to go through the proposal. So cannot comment. But at Google we always follow the local jurisdiction and regulatory processes."

The central government shall constitute a security vetting authority of geospatial information of India in a time-bound manner and as per the regulations framed by the apex committee. It shall consist of an officer of the rank of joint secretary to the Government of India or above as chairman and two members, one a technical expert and the other, a national security expert.

By Premji