Power to make rules for civil defence

(1) The Central Government may, for securing civil defence, by notification, make rules providing for all or any of the following matters, namely:— (a) preventing the prosecution of any work likely to prejudice civil defence; (b) instruction of members of the public regarding civil defence and their equipment for the purposes of such defence; (c) provision, storage and maintenance of commodities and things required for civil defence; (d) prohibiting or regulating traffic, and the use of vessels, buoys, lights and signals in ports and territorial, tidal and inland waters; (e) control of lights and sounds; (f) protection of life and property by taking fire prevention and other measures; (g) securing of any buildings, premises or other structures from being readily recognisable in the event of a hostile attack; (h) for the prevention of danger to life or property, the demolition, destruction or rendering useless, of any building, premises or other structures or any other property; (i) prohibiting or regulating the possession, use or disposal of— (i) explosives, inflammable substances, corrosive and other dangerous substances or articles, arms and ammunition; (ii) vessels; (iii) wireless telegraphic apparatus; (iv) aircraft; and (v) photographic and signalling apparatus and any means of recording information; (j) evacuation of areas and the removal of property or animals therefrom; (k) accommodation in any area of persons evacuated from another area and the regulation of the conduct of evacuated persons accommodated in such area; (l) billeting of evacuated person or persons authorised to perform functions under this Act; (m) salvage of damaged buildings, structures and property and disposal of the dead; (n) seizure and custody or destruction of injured, unclaimed or dangerous animals; (o) ensuring the safety of— (i) ports, dockyards, lighthouses, lightships, aerodromes and facilities associated with aerial navigation; (ii) railways, tramways, roads, bridges, canals and all other means of transport by land or water; (iii) telegraphs, post offices, signalling apparatus and all other means of communication; (iv) sources and systems of water supply, works for the supply of water, gas or electricity and all other works for public purposes; (v) vessels, aircraft, transport vehicles as defined in the Motor Vehicles Act, 1939 (4 of 1939), and rolling stocks of railways and tramways; (vi) warehouses and all other places used or intended to be used for storage purposes; (vii) mines, oilfields, factories or industrial or commercial undertakings generally, or any mine, oilfield, factory or industrial or commercial undertaking in particular; (viii) laboratories and institutions where scientific or technological research or training is conducted or imparted; (ix) all works and structures being part of, or connected with, anything earlier mentioned in this clause; and (x) any other place or thing used or intended to be used for the purposes of Government or a local authority or a semi-Government or autonomous organisation, the protection of which is considered necessary or expedient for securing civil defence; (p) control of any road or pathway, waterway, ferry or bridge, river, canal or other source of water supply; (q) precautionary measures, which the Government or any department thereof or any local authority, members of police force, fire brigade and members of any other service or authority employed primarily for purposes other than civil defence purposes should be required to take within their respective jurisdictions or with respect to any personnel employed by them; (r) preventing or controlling any use of uniforms, whether official or otherwise, or flags or official decorations like medals, badges or other insignia or anything similar thereto, the wearing of which is calculated to deceive or to prejudice civil defence; (s) precautions to be taken or action to be taken by persons or authorities with a view to protecting or acquainting the general public or any members thereof against the dangers involved in any apprehended hostile attack; (t) requiring the owner or occupier of any building, structure or premises to make or carry out such arrangements as may be necessary for the purposes of detection and prevention of fire; (u) taking of specified measures for dealing with outbreaks of fire; (v) directing that, subject to any specified exemption, no person present in any specified area shall, between such hours as may be specified, be out of doors except under the authority of a written permit granted by a specified authority or person; (w) (i) prohibiting the printing and publication of any newspaper, news-sheet, book or other document containing matters prejudicial to civil defence; (ii) demanding security from any press used for the purpose of printing or publishing, and forfeiting the copies of, any newspaper, news-sheet, book or other document containing any of the matters referred to in sub-clause (i); (x) regulating the conduct of persons in respect of areas the control of which is considered necessary or expedient, and removal of persons from such areas; (y) requiring any person or class of persons to comply with any scheme of civil defence; (z) any other provision which may be necessary for the purposes of civil defence. (2) Any rule made under sub-section (1) may provide that orders with regard to the matters specified therein may be made by the State Government. (3) Any rule made under sub-section (1) may provide that a contravention thereof or any order made thereunder shall be punishable with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees, and where the contravention is a continuing one, with a further fine which may extend to fifty rupees for every day, after the first, during which such contravention continues.