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

Keralam Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan | Photo Credit: NIRMAL HARINDRAN

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.