Except for Gujarat, Odisha and Maharashtra, the rest of the maritime States in India are woefully lagging behind in terms of completing port development projects.
These three States put together account for a share of 84 per cent of the projects that have been completed during the 11{+t}{+h} Plan Period, according to a study by Assocham on Ports Development in India, released here today.
In fact, Gujarat takes the cake away on this front, accounting for more than 50 per cent of the port projects completed in India during the last Plan. It has wrapped up 12 projects valued at Rs 12,453 crore, consolidating its presence in the Indian maritime map.
Gujarat is followed by Odisha and Maharashtra, which account for a share of 16.9 per cent and 15.3 per cent respectively in the completed projects.
Odisha saw two projects worth Rs 4,169 crore getting completed, while Maharashtra finished five projects worth Rs 3,772 crore.
“Andhra Pradesh comes a poor fourth, completing three projects worth Rs 1,425 crore, with a share of 5.8 per cent in the completed projects pie. There is an urgent need to modernise Indian ports as the existing port are plagued by problems such as congestion, poor connectivity and inadequate infrastructure,” D.S. Rawat, National General Secretary, told press persons.
However, a positive finding for Andhra Pradesh was that it was leading other States in terms of projects under construction, with a share of 46.2 per cent in the total basket. It is implementing three projects worth Rs 20,090 crore in the ports sector, followed by Maharashtra with three projects worth Rs 6,783 crore and Kerala with three projects worth Rs 6,268 crore.
“Uncertainty over the relationship between major and minor ports, delay in clearances and issue of bringing minor ports under regulation of Tariff Authority for Major Ports are some of the obstacles. We feel, minor ports should be allowed to come up to a certain level, before bringing them under tariff regulation,” Ravindra Sanareddy, Assocham Chairman (southern region), said.