State Commerce and Transport Minister Padmanabha Behera on Tuesday urged for modifications in the draft Indian Ports Bill, 2021.
In a letter to Union Minister, Ports, Shipping and Waterways Mansukh Mandaviya, he enlisted some of the concerns of Odisha, being a coastal State and operating several ports. Behera said Odisha is in the process of constituting The Odisha State Maritime Board The Bill for it is now with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, now awaiting the assent of the President of India, after being passed by the Odisha Legislative Assembly in February. He said there is no provision in the 'Indian Ports Bill, 2021' to include a State Maritime Board and urged that a provision is required to be made for the same.
He said at present, the authority to make regulations for non-major ports for most subjects is the State Maritime Boards/ State Governments of coastal States. However, the Union Government through Maritime States Development Council (MSDC) seeks to appropriate this authority of the State by the proposed Bill. Behera protested it and said that the centralization of authority would stunt the growth of port led development in the nation. He opined that the MSDC should only comprise of Ministers of coastal States and Union Minister for PSW similar to that of GST council. "The concerned officials of the Union Government and coastal State Governments may be made invitees to the MSDC.
The draft Bill mandates centralization of many routine functions to MSDC like conducting enquiry, deciding tariff structure etc. which will be very limiting and less efficient. MSDC's role should continue to be recommendatory and advisory as before," suggested Behera.
