Gandhinagar: Gujarat's port policy, which was announced in 1995, is one of the best public policies in Asia, according to a study. “Gujarat has implemented various forms of port liberalisation since the 1990s. This has helped it become the country's fastest growing state and its economy has grown at an average of 10.14 per cent per year from 2001 to 2006,” a research by US based Cato Institute stated.
The state's ‘Port Policy Statement of December 1995' spelt out an explicit strategy of port-led development, including the creation of 10 completely new, world-class ports, in which private-sector participation would play a large role, it said.
The state has a number of private ports, like the Adani group owned-Mundra port, Pipavav port and private jetties developed by industries like Reliance.
Giving comparative figures of cargo handling by the ports, the study argues that ports developed by the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) have handled the largest volume of cargo in the country.
“In the fiscal year ending 2007, Gujarat's minor ports handled 123.6 million tonnes of cargo, compared to 53 million tonnes handled by its only major port (Kandla),” said the study, adding that 171.9 million tonnes were handled by all such ports nation-wide.
“Another study estimates that the state represents 20.87 per cent of India's exports and 20.11 per cent of imports. This highlights the extent to which Gujarat has harnessed international trade for economic development,” observed the study.
According to projections made by Credit Rating Information Services of India Ltd, a subsidiary of Standard and Poors, additional port capacity to be created by 2020 will be 127.57 million tonnes at Sikka, 97.86 million tonnes at Mundra, 45.23 million tonnes at Pipavav, and 37.07 million tonnes at Dahej.
