The Indian Ports Act of 1908 is obsolete in many respects and needs a complete overhaul. Pre-legislative consultation of a draft Bill with stakeholders is good practice, and the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways needs to be commended for holding four rounds of consultations on the draft Indian Ports Bill that will replace the 1908 Act. The 2022 draft of the Bill is an improvement over the 2021 draft, but it has only tinkered at the margins without resolving the main issue of disagreement between the Centre and the maritime States.
India has 12 major ports and 212 non-major ports. Most of the non-major ports are small fishing harbours and only a few of them cater to international shipping. Major ports figure in the Union List and come under the jurisdiction of the Central government. Non-major ports are in the Concurrent List and come under the respective State governments, but the Centre has overriding legislative and executive powers.
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