Amendment Bill aimed to empower maritime board, says Keralam Chief Minister

The Kerala Maritime Board (Amendment) Bill will empower the Kerala Maritime Board in tune with the times, as the existing legislation lacked the necessary legal provisions to enable the board to discharge various responsibilities entrusted to it, Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan said on Wednesday.

Speaking after presenting the Bill in the Assembly, he said the amendment would establish a centralised decision-making mechanism for the maritime sector.

By amending Section 3 of the Act, the Chief Minister will be made the chairperson of the board. Representatives of all departments crucial to port projects — Ports, Fisheries, Industries, Finance, Revenue, Law and Coastal Security — will be brought on the board. Previously, neither the board nor the Ports department had the authority to take independent decisions, with proposals having to be routed through multiple departments. The new structure will enable the board to take investment-related decisions with all stakeholders at a single forum. The amendment to Section 3 provides the necessary legal backing for this mechanism, he said.

The amendment to Section 2 formally incorporates the board’s responsibilities into the Act, which were previously specified only in the rules. The newly inserted Section 7A sets out these responsibilities in 48 clauses, providing the board with a clear legal framework. Land availability and planning are also key components of the amendment. Under the new Section 22A, a State maritime land bank will be established, comprising land under government control, to meet the requirements of maritime projects, he said.

Section 103 will also be reinstated to enable the constitution of a port area development authority for each port. The land-use plan prepared by the authority will be notified under the Town and Country Planning Act, ensuring that the process remains within the existing legal framework.

To facilitate investment, Section 22 is being amended to provide a clear statutory framework for public-private partnerships. Subject to government approval and assessment of the investment, a concession tenure of up to 45 years may be granted. A reasonable tenure would also help increase the State’s revenue from the tender process, Mr. Satheesan said.

The government does not have the financial resources to make such investments on its own. Its equity contribution will therefore primarily be in the form of land. For instance, in a ₹1,000-crore project, the State’s contribution could be land, with the remaining investment mobilised through other means. Investment could be secured through an expression of interest process, government-to-government arrangements, participation by public sector undertakings, or a model similar to Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), he said.

KINFRA has also been directed to acquire the maximum possible extent of land near minor ports along the coast as part of the State’s proposed port city project, he added.

The government will act as a facilitator in some projects and as a partner in others by contributing land, as it cannot make direct financial investments. It will, however, remain involved in all such ventures and may also have to provide supporting infrastructure. This was why the government decided to allocate ₹3,200 crore for the ring road project associated with the Vizhinjam port, he said. The Bbill was later referred to a subject committee after discussion.