Technology
Toposheets, as an essential tool of information, should be available to all citizens as a matter of right. But in India, due to ‘Imaginary reasons’ of security, the country practices policy of secrecy. Is it justified?
From a Babylonian map on clay tablet dating back to 2300 B. C. to digital cartography of the present day, map making has made tremendous progress. With the new millenium only one year away, the making the utility of map is in a state of major revolution. In modern society, maps constitute the most important source of geographical, physical, economic, scientific and sociological information. Topographical maps form the essential base for geological mapping, mineral prospecting, groundwater surveys, environmental studies and geotechnical investigations, including engineering constructions besides their extensive use in the filed of agriculture, forestry, soil survey, defence planning, urban and rural development, mountaineering and tourism.
Survey of India-maker of maps
The Survey of India (SOI), which is 232 years old, is responsible for all topographical and developmental surveys. This is unlike in the United States of America where the U. S. Geological Survey is responsible for publishing national topographic maps. The Survey of India, with its reach of ‘Aa Setu Himachalam’, is geared to meet the challenges of surveying the entire country. It acts as adviser to the Government of India on Survey matters Viz., geodesy, photogrammetry, mapping and map reproduction. It has aerially photographed the entire country on various scales and has availed of the imageries beamed from indigenous as well as international satellites.
The Survey of India is a pioneer is geodetic research and is repository of invaluable data. Satellite geodesy was introduced in 1982 and many vectors have since been observed to strengthen the Indian Geodetic Network. Observations are made of sea levels at tidal stations. Digital Cartographic Data Base on 1:2,50,000 scale has been initiated. Geographical Information system (GIS) has also been adopted. Thus the SOI has kept abreast of the things in all aspects of Cartography and surveying.
Map coverage
India, with an area of 32,87,263 Km
2, is covered by both topographical maps and geographical maps. The topographical maps are on sufficiently large scale of 1:25,000, 1:50,000 which are ideally suited for the professional work of geologists, geographers, foresters, engineers, planners, tourists, trekkers, mountaineers and others. The geographical maps on the other hand are on such a small scale of less than 1:2,50,000 or 1 inch to 4 miles that they are useful mainly for synoptic views.
India is covered by nearly 385 toposheets on 1:2,50,000 scale and these are also called as Degree Sheets. Each Degree sheet has 16 top0osheets of 1:50,000 scale and at present the whole of the country is covered by 1:50,000 rigorous metric surveys in more than 5000 toposheets. This is no doubt an impressive record for any country in the world. Each 1:50,000 scale sheet contains four 1:25,000 scale sheets. More than 35% of the country has also been covered on 1:25,000 scale. Therefore, there is no dearth of modern toposheets. Guide Maps on scale of 1:10,000 and smaller and available for towns and cities in various States.
Users
In India, topographic maps on scales of 1:2,50,000 and 1:50,000 scales are in great demand from various institutions. The Geological Survey of India carries out all its systematic geological mapping on 1:50,000 and 1:25,000 scale toposheets and is one the largest indenters of toposheets. Other organisations which are regular users of toposheets include the Forest Survey of India, Central Water & Power Commission, National Remote Sensing Agencies, Agricultural Universities, Geology, Geography, Sociology, Archaeology Department of all Universities, Research Organisations dealing with Earth Science and related subjects, Directorate of Mining and Geology, Defence Organisations, Soil Survey Department, Mineral Corporations, Indian Bureau of Mines, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Atomic Mineral Division, Indian Space Research Organisation, Planning Departments, Statistical Institutes, Environmental Organisations, Adventure Clubs, Mountaineering Parties, Mineral Prospectors and Mining Companies. Thus, there is hardly an organisation in India, which does not require maps at some state or other of its activity.
Restriction on maps
Toposheet, as an essential tool of information, should be available to all citizens as a matter of right. Unfortunately, the Colonial British Government in India introduced the principle of security of maps by a strict rule that surveyors of Survey of India should treat their work as secret and not pass on copies even to local officers, civil or military, without proper authority. This restriction at that time was based on deep suspicion that many public officers carried papers in their charge to England, especially maps, which could be put to evil purpose. For the colonial governments in India, maps served the purpose of consolidation of its empire rather than education and dissemination of information. It insisted on secrecy, as it was fearful of giving useful information to alien nations. Gen. Walker, the then Surveyor General, almost lost his job for permitting publication of details of exploration and mapping of Tibet, Central Asia, Nepal, Bhutan and other Northern Frontier areas in the Journals of Royal Geo-graphic Society and Asiatic society of Bengal because, the then British Indian Government had considered this information secret. Thus, the roots of this policy of restricting map information can be traced to the colonial period. Though Britain has outgrown this colonial hangover of secrecy, it is a great pity that Independent India stills practices this restriction as an uncompromising rule and enforces it rigidity.
The restriction on the sale, publication and distribution of maps published by the Survey of India took more inflexible form in the period 1960-62, which witnessed a conflict with and attack by China along the northern border and later in 1965 in the aftermath of Indo-Pakistan war. However, the prevalent policy of restriction of maps and toposheets was laid down in the late 1967 and further amended in the early 1968 by the Ministry of Defence, Government of India. According to this, all topographical and geographical maps of areas (of about 80 km) between the delineated line, shown on the "Index to Toposheets" published by the Survey of India, and the land border, and also of similar maps of Bhutan and Sikkim, and similar maps of the outlying islands viz, Andaman and Nicobar, and Lakshdweep Island comprising Laccadiv, Minocoy and Amindivi, on scales 1:1 million and larger, are restricted and their sale, publication and distribution are governed by separate set of rules. Thus, nearly 227 out of 385 Degree toposheets remain restricted and this includes SOI Map catalogue published in 1962, and also the book "Gravity in India." Application for such maps has to be made on Form 0.57 (a) Obtainable from Survey of India and issue of such maps has to made subject to series of conditions mentioned in the form. The restricted toposheets are issued only to Government officials, educational scientific institutions and semi-government organisations. However, in practice, educational institutions cannot directly obtain the maps. In one case an indent of a faculty member, countersigned by the Head of his University, was rejected with the suggestion it should be got countersigned by a joint Secretary of the State Government. Only in 1971 clearance of Ministry of Defence was accorded for issue of restricted maps to private individuals, organisations and commercial firms whose indent, applied through State Government, has to be approved by the Ministry of Defence. Persons receiving "Restricted" maps have to submit an annual certificate of safe custody of such maps by 31
st December every year. In case, part of any area falls across the external boundary of India, the indent has to be cleared by Ministry of External Affairs. Topographical maps both for restricted as well as unrestricted areas which depict grid lines cannot be issued to civilian users without the prior approval of the Ministry of Defence. Without gridlines maps lose some of their utility for easy reference and location.
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