(a) whether the Government intends to allow port trusts to lease land to private companies;
(b) the total area of land that currently remains unused at ports;
(c) the procedure by which the land will be leased to private companies and the activities for which the land will be leased;
(d) the revenue sharing methodology with the Government; and
(e) the estimated revenue the Government intends to earn through such leasing of port land?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF SHIPPING (SHRI PON. RADHAKRISHNAN)
(a)&(b): The Ministry has formulated Land Policy Guidelines, 2014 which was approved by the Union Cabinet on 02.01.2014 and provides guidelines for leasing of Port Lands. The total area of land that currently remains unused at ports is 2,35,020 acres.
(c)to(e): All Major Ports have land use plan which dictates the usage of the Port land for different activities. Port lands are put to optimal use based on the respective land use plans. There is no specific revenue sharing methodology with the Government but Major Ports collect lease rentals for the lands given out on lease. The salient features of the policy are:-
i) Dominant method of allotment of land is through a transparent tender-cum-auction mechanism;
ii) Special dispensation provided for security agencies, government departments,
iii) Concessional regime of providing upto 75% discount on allotment of land to agencies engaged in essential port services and core security functions and also for government school and colleges have been provided for;
iv) The valuation of the land is linked with market value and is to be notified by Tariff Authority of Major Ports (TAMP);
v) The Policy also provides for pro-active disclosure mechanisms and transparency in land related transactions.