Bhubanedwar: Odisha government has objected to the draft Port Bill stating that it will appropriate State’s control over minor ports.
The State transport minister Padmanabh Behera, in a letter to the union shipping minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday, has pointed out that the Centre through the provision of Maritime States Development Council seeks to appropriate the States’ authority to make regulation for non-major ports.
“We object to this proposed appropriation of State Authority by the Union government”, Behera has mentioned in his letter. “The proposed provision instead of making India a strong maritime nation through its Centralisation of authority, will stunt the growth of port led development in the nation. Also, this proposal is against the very spirit of cooperative federalism and empowerment of States”, pointed out Odisha minister in his letter.
According to Behera, the draft Bill mandates Centralisation of many routine functions to the Council like conducting Inquiry, deciding tariff structure etc.
