Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh has strongly opposed the Centre’s move to snatch control of even minor ports from the states through the proposed Indian Ports Bill, 2020.
Describing the Bill — that can decide which minor port should remain operational and which has to be shut down — as blot on the federal spirit, the state government has dashed off a letter to the Centre asking the latter to convene a meeting with all the maritime states before proceeding further on the proposed legislation.
AP’s objections come close on the heels of the Gujarat Martime Board (GMB), the oldest autonomous authority that revolutionised the maritime sector in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s native state, also opposing several provisions of the Bill. While GMB soft-peddled on the Bill apparently due to political compulsions, the AP Maritime Board explained in detail how the Bill is ultra vires the Constitution.
“The Centre under the guise of the new Bill cannot step into the shoes of…
