Draft Indian Ports Bill, 2022

Draft Indian Ports Bill, 2022- Relevance for UPSC Exam

GS Paper 2: Governance, Administration and Challenges- Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Recently, the government has issued Draft Indian Ports Bill, 2022 for stakeholder consultation as part of its plan to revamp the British era legislation for the port sector.
The draft IP Bill 2022 seeks to repeal and replace the existing 1908 India Ports Act.

About: It has been prepared to consolidate and amend the laws relating to ports, for the prevention and containment of pollution at ports.
- It also aims to ensure compliance with the country’s obligation under the maritime treaties and international instruments to which India is a party.
Key Objectives: The draft IP Bill 2022 seeks to repeal and replace the existing 1908 Act. The primary objectives of the proposed bill are four-fold:
- Promote integrated planning between States inter-se and Centre-States through a purely consultative and recommendatory framework;
- Ensure prevention of pollution measures for all ports in India while incorporating India’s obligations under international treaties;
- Address lacunae in the dispute resolution framework required for burgeoning ports sector;
- Usher-in transparency and cooperation in development and other aspects through use of data.

IP Bill 2022 has been prepared in order to-

Ensure compliance with the country’s obligation under the maritime treaties and international instruments to which India is a party;
Take measures for conservation of ports;
Empower and establish State Maritime Boards for effective administration, control and management of non-major ports in India;
Provide for adjudicatory mechanisms for redressal of port related disputes and to establish a national council for fostering structured growth and development of the port sector, and
Ensure optimum utilization of the coastline of India, as may be necessary, and
Provide for matters ancillary and incidental thereto, or connected therewith.

The proposed bill will homogenize and streamline the development of the maritime sector, along with, promoting ease of doing business by eliminating unnecessary delays, disagreements and defining responsibilities.
It will incorporate State Maritime Boards in the national framework.
Additionally, Maritime State Development Council will ensure cooperative federalism where Centre and State/UT Governments will work together towards preparing progressive road map for the country.
The redundant provisions of the Act have been deleted or replaced with contemporaneous provisions.
Further, existing penalties in the Act which are outdated have been updated with respect to amounts and offences relevant to present day scenario.

shivam