Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi objecting to some of the provisions of the revised draft of the Indian Ports Bill, 2022, which he contended were “centralising” the sector.
Even though some of the suggestions from maritime States and other stakeholders have been accommodated, the revised draft still largely continued to ignore the international and domestic experience that ports are better managed by local and regional governments, he contended.
In his letter, Mr. Stalin contended that the draft Bill will stifle State-specific initiatives by imposing a centralized regulatory regime on non-major ports. The attempt to convert the Maritime State Development Council (MSDC), presently an advisory body, into a regulatory body with permanent staff would surely encroach upon the powers of the States. “This may end up choking the future development of minor ports,” he said.
