Maharashtra Unveils New Maritime Policy To Transform Its Coastal Economy Through Tourism And Infrastructure

The government of Maharashtra has designed a five-year maritime policy to boost maritime tourism and compete with neighbouring Gujarat.

The policy includes incentives for business owners and tourists, as well as the construction of various infrastructure projects.

An official from the ports department said that the Maritime Development Policy 2023 (MDP-2023) will be presented in the cabinet meeting early next week.

Gujarat currently has many concessions for cargo transportation activities and is ahead in maritime operations.

This has prompted the government to add several new features to the MDP-2023, such as concessions on waterfront royalties and encouragement for waterfront activities, reports Hindustan Times.

Maharashtra has a long coastline spanning around 720 km, that has numerous established trade and commercial operations.

Features Of The New Policy

The incentives offered in the policy include leasing land for marinas, ship building and repairing, and ship recycling facilities.

Additionally, there will be concessions on tickets for floatels, amphibious buses, houseboats, seaplanes, and dinner cruises.

Additionally, the policy proposes a 30-year lease for marina projects and 15 years for floatels, houseboats, and seaplanes.

It will provide priority docking for cruise vessels at ports and jetties, as well as a 25 per cent discount on port charges.

To promote coastal recreation, the policy suggests collaborating with cruise operators to develop lighthouses and tourist heritage destinations. This will include partnering with other operators to offer activities such as water sports and guided tours at onshore sites.

The policy proposes to provide capital assistance of up to 60 per cent of the project cost for setting up skill development centres for private units.

This is aimed at encouraging CSR for skill development to address the shortage of skilled workforce.

The MDP 2023 proposes a concession/lease period of 21 years with a provision for a further nine-year extension to encourage a cluster-based approach to developing shipbuilding and repairing industries.

The policy also proposes suitable locations for developing ship recycling facilities along the coastline.

An official from the ports department stated that “the neighbouring state has a lot of concessions for the cargo transportation activities and they are way ahead in operations though we house the largest port (JNPT) in our state. The policy offers incentives and tax holidays on par with Gujarat. For the railway connectivity the state government has proposed to help the operators with support from the central government.”