Parliament panel for enhancing capacity of major ports

Expressing concern over shrinking share of Centre-owned ports in cargo handling, a Parliamentary panel has asked the government to give adequate attention and policy support to ports for offering better facilities.

Lauding efforts of minor ports, that have grabbed 35% share in cargo handling in the country from a mere 5% in 1999, the panel said, "This only implies that government's policies has not allowed major ports to grow."

The committee is of the view that the rate of cargo handling capacity growth is far greater in case of private ports than that of major ports, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, chaired by Sitaram Yechury, said.

"The major ports should get adequate attention and policy support from the government to improve their efficiency and competency," it said.

The total volume of traffic handled by all the Indian ports during 2009-10 was 849.9 million tonnes, of which non-major ports accounted for around one-third of the total seaborne trade.

As per the Shipping Ministry the growth in cargo handled at major and mon-major ports in 2009-10 was 5.8% and 35.4% respectively compared to 2.2% and 3.3% in 2008-09.

India has 13 major ports, which are owned by the Centre, and 187 state government-controlled minor ports along the 7,517 km long coast line of the country.

These ports account for handling 90% of the country's international trade by volume and 70% by value.

The panel recommended that government should make efforts that the major ports too offer facilities, cargo clearance etc in a hassle free manner on par with minor ports.

The government in January this year had unveiled a new policy for the shipping sector that entailed an investment of Rs 5 lakh crore by 2020 to take the ports capacity to 3,200 MT and bring in major reforms in the space.

Of the Rs 5 lakh crore investment proposed in the sector, Rs 3 lakh crore would be in the port sector.

The major ports in the country are --  Mumbai, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, Kolkata (with Haldia), Chennai, Visakhapatanam, Cochin, Paradip, New Mangalore, Marmagao, Ennore, Tuticorin, Kandla and Port Blair.