Overview of drawbacks and potential of minor port developments

摘要

There are 11 major ports and about 150 minor ports in India which have been handling seaborne trade and traffic. The share of traffic handled in minor ports is less than 10 of major ports' traffic. These are traditional ports with inadequate facilities, low drafted, and development has been insignificant due to less traffic demand. More numbers of such ports are located in the West Coast, especially in the state of Gujarat. Many minor ports of Gujarat are functional due to the demand and effective role played by the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) and the need for traffic movement. After 1991, the era of liberalization and the emphasis for infrastructure, every state government had taken interest to develop the minor ports. Again, Gujarat had taken the lead and there are quite many privatized ports such as Adani, Pipavav, Dahej, Hazira, Jamnagar, etc. The Ninth Five-year Plan focus for minor ports to handle about 150 Mt or 33 of major ports traffic. The 'Port Vision Study 2020' by RITES envisages bigger role for minor ports and it envisages about 700 Mt (equal of major ports) to be handled by minor ports. To avoid duplication of efforts and conflicting interests or developments, the Ministry of Surface Transport had established Maritime Council of all maritime state's for a coordinated development. In the new millennium, hence, the minor ports would also have striding development, which has to be welcomed. In fact, the 'Port Vision Study' envisages no more creation of new major ports, but the stress for development of minor ports by state government and also by private entrepreneur. This indicates the importance of minor ports in future and the thrust for the development. There is, hence, need for the maritime states to take stern and focusing interest similar to Gujarat, innovatively improving the minor ports and the communications for the same.