Indian Ports Bill detrimental to interests of Andhra Pradesh: CPM

Vijayawada: The Central government should withdraw the Indian Ports Bill, 2020, as the Bill was intended to control the minor ports which have been under the control of the State governments so far and that was detrimental to the interest of the State governments, demanded CPM here on Sunday.

CPM State secretary P Madhu said in a statement that the new Bill would repeal and replace the Indian Ports Act, 1908 which would result in loss of control over the minor ports in all the States. There are a number of minor ports in Andhra Pradesh on its 974-km long coastline. The minor ports like Krishnapatnam, Gangavaram, Kakinada and others have been generating huge revenue for the State government.

Madhu said that if the Indian Ports Bill is passed, the State government would lose control on these ports and revenue too. The Maritime Port Regulatory Authority would decide the future of the ports whether they should be run or closed. Moreover, the Centre would control the port development and decide the maintenance of pollution control standards and the safety of the ports.

He took strong exception to usurp the powers of the States by the Centre which is against the Federal spirit and also against the Constitution.

All the major ports in the country are already under the control of the Central government and another Bill to hand over these minor ports to the corporate houses is under consideration. Such handing over of major and minor ports to the corporate houses would be harmful to national security.

The CPM welcomed the letter written by the AP Maritime Board opposing the introduction of Indian Ports Bill in Parliament, he said and appealed to the State government to bring pressure on the Centre after consulting with the other State governments to drop the Bill altogether.

The CPM also demanded the opposition and the ruling party MPs to oppose the Bill tooth and nail in Parliament.