Maritime Board in place; open to government decision, says chairman

The present Kerala Maritime Board, constituted in 2018, is still in place but “we are open to any government decision”, V. J. Mathew, chairman, has said.

He was referring to reports that the tenure of the present board had ended as the government had, in a recent order, reduced the term of the board from five years to three years. He said that as per the rules prevailing prior to the latest order, the term of the present board should end in July 2023. There has been no order from the government so far to wind up the board and the board stands.

However, the board will follow any instruction from the government on the issue, he said.

He said the LDF government had followed the policy of reducing the tenure of boards from five years to three years, as seen in cases like Greater Cochin Development Authority. Mr. Mathew said the coastal maritime sector had great potential and the board was already operating in profit now. To unleash the potential, the board should have autonomy. He claimed that budgetary allocation for the board since 2018 had not been released, hampering its financial autonomy.

Stakeholders in the coastal segment represented by trade bodies and chambers of commerce and port users’ fora have welcomed the decision to reduce the term of the Maritime Board from five to three years. The order was issued on January 19.

Munshid Ali of the Calicut Chamber of Commerce and Industry expressed the hope that there would be great progress in coastal transport benefiting all the 17 minor ports in the State. He said the maritime fraternity looked forward to having experts in the field to lead the board and as board members. The board’s primary aim should be to provide support to the trade while protecting government interests, he said.

Stakeholders feel charges in minor ports are much higher than those prevalent at the Kochi and Tuticorin ports. He said crane charges should be brought down and a Standard Operation Procedure, including 24×7 working hours, should be introduced. He also called for night loading operations, which can reduce carbon emission considerably and also help the trade significantly.

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