Shipping Ministry is gearing up to introduce a bill in the Budget session of Parliament to provide a single comprehensive legislature for all kinds of ports and streamline the existing Acts.
The comprehensive bill will be tabled by merging two existing Acts to streamline and simplify port regulation in the country.
"Single Act Bill would to be introduced in the Budget Session. This is being done because the Indian Ports Act 1908 applies to all the ports in the country and Major Ports Trust Act 1963 applies to the 12 major ports only, we want one comprehensive Act," a Shipping Ministry official told PTI.
Besides, the ministry is also looking at overhauling the Tariff Authority for Major Ports (TAMP).
TAMP was constituted in April 1997 to provide for an independent Authority to regulate all tariffs, both vessel related and cargo related, and rates for lease of properties in respect of Major Port Trusts and the private operators located therein.
The Major Ports Trust Act, 1963 was amended by Port Laws (Amendment) Act 1997 to constitute the TAMP. Minor ports are outside the ambit of TAMP.
Once the major ports are converted from trusts into corporate entities, they go out of the ambit of the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963.There are 12 major ports in the country -- Mumbai, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, Kolkata (with Haldia), Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Cochin, Paradip, New Mangalore, Marmagao, Ennore, Tuticorin and Kandla.
Trade through sea route accounts for about 95 per cent of total Indian trade in terms of volume and 70 per cent in terms of value.
