Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday wrote to his counterparts from eight coastal states and a Union Territory, urging them to express their objections to the new Draft Indian Ports Bill 2021, dealing with the management of minor ports, stating that it dilutes the powers vested with the states. MK Stalin wrote to Chief Ministers of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal and Puducherry regarding the draft Bill framed by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
In a letter on Tuesday, Stalin said, “As you are aware, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has framed a new ‘Draft Indian Ports Bill 2021’ to modify the current management model of minor ports and has scheduled a meeting of Maritime State Development Council (MSDC) with the state ministers on June 24, 2021 to discuss this Bill. As per the existing Indian Ports Act, 1908, the powers to plan, develop, regulate and control the minor ports vests with the state governments concerned. However, the new draft Indian Ports Bill 2021 proposes to change this and transfer many of these powers to MSDC, which has so far been only an advisory body,” he said. This will result in the Union government taking over many powers vested with the state governments, he added.
Stating that the existing system led to the development of minor ports, MK Stalin said that the new Bill will lead to long term adverse implications since the state government will not have a say in managing the ports once the Bill is passed. He also said the DMK-led government already took up the issue and opposed the move to “reduce the autonomous role of states in the regulation and management of minor ports.”
“I propose that all the coastal states and Union Territories should express their objection to this new draft Indian Ports Bill 2021 and take joint action to prevent any move to dilute the powers already vested with the states. I also request that all our state governments must communicate these comments on similar lines, opposing the above bill during the MSDC Meeting on June 24 2021,” Stalin added.