Major Port Authorities Bill on agenda of Rajya Sabha on Tuesday

A bill to provide greater autonomy and flexibility to major ports and to professionalise their governance is slated to be taken up in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

The Major Port Authorities Bill, 2020 seeks to provide for the regulation, operation and planning of major ports in India and to vest the administration, control and management of such ports upon the boards of Major Port Authorities.

The bill was passed by Lok Sabha last year. It seeks to repeal the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963 and replace it with new legislation.

The bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha in 2016 and referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee (PSC). The Shipping Ministry again introduced the bill based on the recommendations of the standing committee but it lapsed due to dissolution of previous Lok Sabha.

The bill seeks to constitute an Adjudicatory Board for adjudication of disputes among major ports, public-private partnership concessionaires and captive users.