THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala is all set to form the State Maritime Board. The government is in the final stage of establishing the Maritime Board aimed at developing small and medium ports in the state, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said while responding to a question from ‘Express’ at the Editors’ Meet in connection with the first anniversary of the state government here on Saturday.
In the just concluded Assembly session, the government had introduced the Kerala Maritime Board Bill 2017, after the 2014 Bill passed by the UDF Government was returned to the Assembly as it failed to get the President’s assent.
The new Bill has more or less similar provisions. However, certain provisions which were termed inconsistent with regulations under the Customs Act, 1962, have been excluded in the draft. The Maritime Board Bill 2017 is expected to get the Assembly’s nod in the coming session.
Setting up of the State Maritime Board to facilitate the development of minor ports will boost the state’s economy, said ‘The New Indian Express’ Resident Editor Vinod Mathew.
“The state should follow the Golden Nuggets model of Gujarat where the growth was centered around the development of its minor ports. Kerala, given its long coastline of 590 km, should take a leaf out of the Gujarat development story,” he said. It was in this context the Chief Minister made the remark the state government has been taking the initiative to set up the Maritime Board to develop non-major ports in the state.
Kerala bank
On the state government’s ambitious proposal, the Chief Minister said the Kerala Bank would strengthen the cooperative sector. Instead of the current three-tier system it would be a two-tier system with the setting up of the Kerala Bank.