Odisha Cabinet clears Odisha Maritime Board proposal
Surjit Kumar Dhal, Bhubaneswar, Aug 16: The setting up of Odisha Maritime Board to accelerate State’s economic development with creation of employment opportunities and employability moved a step closer with the State Cabinet approving the proposal in this regard.Earlier a Bill was passed in the year 2011 for constitution of Board but that was withdrawn because of some more issues were to be added.The statutory body was proposed for administration, control and management of non-major ports and non-nationalised inland water ways.
The Board, Odisha’s Development Commissioner Asit Tripathy said, will function as the single window facilitator for the overall maritime development of the State.It will provide policy, guidelines and directions for the integrated development of Ports and Inland Water Transport keeping in view of country’s security and defence related concerns.It will also take up survey and techno-economic feasibility studies so as to facilitate private sector investment for development of ports and port based industries.
The salient features of Board shall be to provide construction, maintenance and operation of all non-major ports in the State directly or through PPP mode, Tripathy said.
The Board will plan and exercise projects including integrated townships for productive use of non-port lands vested in port authorities in the State, to regulate and control navigation within the limits of the port and port approaches in the State, to exercise supervision and control over all works relating to ports in the State, to provide for stevedoring, landing, shipping or trans-shipping passengers and goods between vessels in port and the wharves or docks belonging to or in the possession of the Board, to develop, promote, maintain and regulate ferry services and non-nationalized inland water transport system in the State for passengers and goods and to prescribe and to collect taxes, duties, fees and charges, he said.
The Odisha Maritime Board shall be constituted with 12 members with the Chief Secretary as the Chairperson along with representatives of stakeholders departments as well as representatives of the Union Government.Notably, Odisha is endowed with a vast coast line of 480 KMs and has rich, unique and natural port locations and perennial rivers.At present the state and hinter land states are undergoing massive industrialisation in mines & metals, cement, oil refining & gas and power sectors resultantly their logistic requirements will be increased considerably.The State Government is keen to expand the logistic sector by developing non-major Ports, 14 identified out of which two — Gopalpur & Dhamra– are operational and two — Astarang & Subarnrekha– are under pipe line and Inland Water Transport facilities in the State.The cabinet also cleared the proposal on financial restructuring of the Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC), and extension of Justice BP Das Commission set up to suggest reforms in the Jagannath Temple in Puri.With the Cabinet’s approval, the old dues of OSRTC and State Government will be settled for ever. Also the accumulated losses of Rs.169.93 crore will be taken up against the Share Capital in a phased manner.Tripathy said once the losses are adjusted OSRTC will have the option to approach the financial institutions for taking up commercially viable projects for better passenger amenities.
