KOCHI: The government’s plan to constitute a Maritime Board for the State is likely to be delayed further as the Bill pertaining to it has been pending for around two years before the President of India for the final clearance.
“Details of the Maritime Board Bill, which was passed by the Kerala Assembly on December 17, 2014, were revealed by Minister for Ports Ramachandran Kadannappally in the Assembly.
Aimed at ensuring optimum utilisation of the 580-km coastline of the State, it was the previous UDF Government that initiated steps to constitute the Maritime Board. The Department of Ports prepared the Bill to form the Board, with the Kerala State Maritime Development Corporation and the Kerala Maritime Society under it. According maritime experts, maritime boards are vital for ensuring proper utilisation of the funds allotted for minor ports. The minor ports, unlike the major ports, come under the direct control of state governments. “Three of the ten coastal states in the country - Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu - have their own maritime boards. Kerala, which has a coastline of more than 580 km, has been contemplating constitution of Maritime Board for at least ten years. But, the plan has remained on paper so far,” said Indian Maritime University former executive member Jose Paul, who is also former chairman of the Mormugao Port Trust.
States having maritime boards have gone a long way in developing their ports and the related projects. In states that do not have maritime board, port development has been delayed by procedural bottlenecks and lack of coordination among the agencies concerned.