The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has notified the constitution of the Adjudicatory Board for major ports, as mandated under the Major Port Authorities Act, 2021, which governs 11 of India’s 12 state-owned ports.
Justice Ashish Jitendra Desai, former Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court, has been appointed as the first Presiding Officer of the Board. The members include Chirravuri Viswanath, former Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs and ex-member of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC), and Dr Sanjeev Ranjan, former Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Technical Member of the National Company Law Tribunal.
The Presiding Officer and members will hold office for five years or until the age of 70, whichever is earlier. Based in Mumbai, the Adjudicatory Board replaces the erstwhile Tariff Authority for Major Ports (TAMP), which was dissolved after the enactment of the new law.
The Board’s mandate includes adjudicating disputes between major ports and public-private partnership (PPP) operators, reviewing stressed PPP projects and recommending revival measures, and addressing complaints from port users against service providers at major ports. Appeals against its decisions can only be made to the Supreme Court, enabling faster resolution of disputes.
The move has been welcomed by the private port sector. “We have been waiting for the constitution of the Adjudicatory Board all these years,” said R Ravi Kumar, Secretary General of the Indian Private Ports & Terminals Association (IPPTA). “We hope the proceedings will be faster and decisions implemented quickly, bringing speedy closure to long-pending issues.”
