¹[(1) Every Indian passenger ship and every Indian cargo ship of three hundred tons gross tonnage or more, shall in accordance with the rules made under section 296, be provided with a radio installation and shall maintain a radio telegraph service or a radio telephone service of the prescribed nature and shall be provided with such certificated operators as may be prescribed.]
     (2) The radio installation required under the said rules to be provided for a passenger ship or for ²[any cargo ship of sixteen hundred tons gross or more shall be a radio telegraph installation; and that required to be provided for a cargo ship of less than sixteen hundred tons gross] shall be either a radio telegraph installation or a radio-telephone installation at the option of the owners.
     ³[(3) The Central Government may, having regard to the length of the voyage or voyages on which a ship or a class of ships is engaged and the maximum distance of such ship or class of ships will be from the shore during such voyage or voyages, exempt, by order in writing and subject to such conditions and restrictions as may be specified therein, any ship or class of ships from compliance with all or any of the obligations imposed by or under this section if that Government is satisfied that such compliance would be unreasonable or unnecessary:
     Provided that an exemption from the obligation to provide with radio telegraph installation in respect of any passenger ship or in respect of any cargo ship of sixteen hundred tons gross tonnage or more shall be subject to the condition that she shall have on board a radiotelephone installation :
     Provided further that no exemption shall be granted under this section, if it will have an adverse effect on the general efficiency of the distress service for the safety of ships.]