Latest news with #IndianPortsActof1908
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
Parliament passes Bill to consolidate law relating to ports, facilitate ease of doing business
NEW DELHI: The Rajya Sabha on Monday passed The Indian Ports Bill, 2025, which seeks to consolidate the law relating to ports, promote integrated port development, facilitate ease of doing business, and ensure optimum utilisation of India's coastline. The Indian Ports Bill 2025, which was passed by the Lok Sabha on August 12, was moved for consideration in the Upper House in the afternoon session amid noisy protests by the Opposition, who later staged a walkout demanding discussion on electoral rolls revision in Bihar. "This is more than a legislative change. It is a strategic intervention to reposition India's maritime sector for the 21st century," Union Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said while moving the legislation. Elaborating how India has expanded its port capacity and cargo handling drastically while cutting down ship turnaround times by nearly 49 per cent through mechanisation and digitalisation under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sonowal said, "Despite this progress, we are still governed by a colonial relic — the Indian Ports Act of 1908." This outdated statute lacks provisions for long-term planning, modern environmental safeguards, and efficient dispute resolution. It is a legislative framework from a bygone era, unsuited for a modern, digitalised maritime ecosystem, the minister said. "The Indian Ports Bill, 2025 is our answer to this challenge. It is the product of extensive consultation with coastal states, industry stakeholders, and the public, embodying the spirit of cooperative federalism," he asserted. He informed that the Bill is meticulously designed to align with the global best practices and decriminalises certain offences and removes outdated provisions replacing them with modern and relevant provisions, while ushering in more transparency in port tariff. Later, replying to the discussion on the Bill, Sonowal said the ministry was neglected by the Congress, alleging that in ten years from 2004 to 2014, only one new legislation was brought. On the other hand, he said, the NDA government has brought in 11 new legislations in the last 11 years and listed the new legislations related to the ministry brought by the Modi government. "They (Congress) did not have any legislative reform in their mind," he asserted, adding the over 100 years old laws made by the British have become outdated and were not in sync with modern times. Sonowal said, "If the laws are modern, competitive, effective, business friendly, eco-friendly and people-friendly then only we can take the country forward through this bill. Referring to the Opposition who had staged a walkout, Sonowal said Congress and their alliance at least should "develop sense of respect to the nation because they are also citizens of the country". They have also a big role to play as Opposition, the minister said, adding the role of Opposition is not only to oppose but they always posses two important qualities of "responsibility and responsiveness". "But in this case, I have seen it. It is missing, very sad," Sonowal said. The minister said the Indian Port Bill 2025 has been brought after wider consultations with all stake-holders, all coastal states and users of ports. "This is the power of reforms. This is through which we are going to make India one of the leading maritime nations in the world," Sonowal asserted. "In line with our international obligation, the Bill empowers the government to direct ports to establish a maritime single window system enabling seamless electronic data exchange and improving the ease of doing business," the minister said.
Hans India
12-08-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
LS passes Indian Ports Bill, 2025 amid unprecedented ruckus by Oppn
New Delhi: The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the Indian Ports Bill, 2025 by voice vote, replacing the colonial-era Indian Ports Act of 1908, even as sustained sloganeering and protests from Opposition benches drowned out much of the debate. The Bill, moved by Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, seeks to consolidate and modernise the legal framework governing India's ports, with an emphasis on cooperative federalism and strategic maritime development. The House reassembled at 3 PM with Jagdambika Pal in the chair, who invited Sonowal to move the Bill for consideration. The Minister outlined the Bill's objectives, stating that it would facilitate ease of doing business, ensure optimal utilisation of India's coastline, and empower State Maritime Boards for effective management of non-major ports. He also highlighted the Bill's provisions for managing pollution, disaster response, port safety, navigation, and data governance, while aligning domestic regulations with India's international obligations. A key feature of the legislation is the statutory establishment of the Maritime States Development Council (MSDC), which has existed since 1997 through executive notification. The Bill expands MSDC's mandate to include major ports under central control, enabling a consultative and collaborative framework between the Centre and coastal states. The minister Sonowal said the Council would advise on long-term planning, issue non-binding guidelines, and foster structured growth across the port sector. Despite the Minister's address, proceedings were repeatedly interrupted by Opposition members who stormed the Well of the House, shouting slogans such as 'We want justice.' The Chair made multiple appeals for order, assuring members that everyone would be given a chance to speak, but his voice was largely drowned in the din. Participating in the debate, BJP MP Dilip Saikia (Darrang-Udalgudi, Assam) described ports as 'engines of employment' and urged Opposition members to engage constructively. He noted that port capacity had increased by 87 per cent over the last decade under the Modi government, and said the Bill would open new gateways to Southeast Asia, enhancing regional connectivity and trade. TDP MP Sribharat Muthukumilli (Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh) also spoke in support of the Bill, emphasising its potential to strengthen coastal infrastructure and empower state-level port authorities. BJP's Darshan Singh Choudhary (Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh) echoed similar sentiments, calling the legislation a timely intervention for maritime reform. The Bill includes provisions for adjudicatory mechanisms to resolve port-related disputes and mandates conservation measures to protect port ecosystems. It also addresses emergency preparedness, security protocols, and compliance with international maritime instruments. In passing the Bill, the government signalled its intent to recalibrate Centre-State relations in port governance, especially in light of shifting political equations following the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The consultative framework embedded in the legislation is seen as a response to coalition compulsions and the need to accommodate regional aspirations, the minister said and urged the house to pass the Bill. Following the passage of the Bill by voice vote, the Chair adjourned the House till 4:30 PM.
The Hindu
28-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Port, dock workers to join May 20 national strike
The National Working Committee meeting of the Water Transport Workers' Federation of India, representing trade unions at all 12 major ports in the country, decided to join the May 20 national strike against the proposed implementation of the four labour codes, 'which will take away all the basic rights of the Indian working class.' A communication from C.D. Nandakumar, president, and T. Narendra Rao, general secretary of the Federation, said here after a two-day meeting of the working committee that a resolution was passed at the top-level meeting urging the government to withdraw its decision to amend the Major Port Authorities Act, 2021 through its (Amendment) Bill, 2025. The amendment empowers Port Authority Boards to make regulations on suspension, reduction in ranks, compulsory retirement, removal and dismissal from service, pensions and gratuities, and other establishment-related matters concerning labour. In another resolution, the Federation said that the Indian Ports Bill, 2025, introduced to replace the Indian Ports Act of 1908, has raised significant concerns regarding its impact on the Indian federal structure. While the Bill claims to aim at modernising port governance, several provisions centralise powers that traditionally resided with State governments. The Federation also said that the government aims to divest public ownership by handing over ready-built, valuable assets and facilities, such as cargo-handling terminals, to transnational corporates under the National Assets Monetisation projects. The situation, it said, has created an unbalanced condition, giving private operators the upper hand in Indian major ports. The control of the vast Indian coast, spread over 7,517 kilometres across nine coastal States, is gradually being crippled by private operators. This is not only detrimental to the economic interests of the nation but may also pose severe threats to national security, as ports are described as the second line of defence, the Federation added.
