GANDHINAGAR: After over two decades, the state government has finally decided to revamp its port policy for long-term integrated maritime development.
Framed in 1995 by the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB), the port policy had given a thrust on developing greenfield ports by inviting private firms. Now, GMB plans to integrate various maritime related policies into one comprehensive port policy.
The GMB board has approved the formation of a task force to formulate an integrated policy for the state with that has some of the private ports like Mundra and Pipavav as well as LNG terminals at Dahej and Hazira.
“The scenario of port development in Gujarat has changed over the years. We were the first to float the port policy in 1995. Now, the situation has changed drastically. With the lot more avenues opening up in port sector and the central government recommending corporatization of ports, it is high time to revamp the state’s port policy,” said a senior state government official.
The new policy will include ship building, maritime cluster development, ship recycling and repair and will be in sync with the industrial development that is envisaged through Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor and Special Investment Regions. An emphasis will also be given to crude and LNG handling.
Gujarat ports handle over 30 per cent of the cargo in the country. The cargo handling by the ports has shot up from 13 million tonnes in 1994-95 to 380 MT in 2013-14.
V P Shah, former GMB CEO who was instrumental in drafting the 1995 policy, said, “It is high time that the port policy is revised considering the rapid industrialization and maritime activity,” Shah told TOI. He said that new policy must focus on modernization, encouraging captive jetties and centralized dredging mechanism,
In 2013-14, non-major ports of Gujarat handled a total cargo of 309.9 MMTPA. This was 32% of total cargo handled by Indian ports. The capacity of Gujarat ports increased from 135 MMTPA in 2001-02 to 387 MMTPA in 2013-14. Gujarat non major ports traffic increased to 309.9 MMT, growing by CAGR of 14.82 % in last 10 years.