Paradip, Deendayal ports achieve milestone of over 150 million tonnes of cargo handling

Paradip Port Authority and Deendayal Port Authority crossed the 150 million tonne (mt) cargo handling mark in the year to March 2025, a first for major ports. Mundra port—India’s biggest commercial port and the flagship of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd–crossed the 150 mt mark two years ago and the port handled 179.6 mt of cargo in FY24. APSEZ is yet to announce Mundra port’s volumes in FY25.While Paradip Port Authority ended FY25 with 150.41 mt, Deendayal Port Authority handled 150.15 mt.

The major port authorities reckon that they still need “deregulation” in running ports and not just on paper. The Major Port Authorities Act, passed by Parliament and notified in the gazette on February 18, 2021, gives freedom to the 11 ports it governs, and new cargo handling terminals set up by private firms at these ports, to levy market determined rates, by scrapping the Tariff Authority for Major Ports or TAMP, the erstwhile rate regulator for state-run ports.

If the government wants us to operate strictly like commercial entities which can generate profits for the exchequer and do well as commercial entities, then we need deregulation. Just on paper, deregulation won’t be enough. The Tariff Authority for Major Ports (TAMP) has been abolished, but we still don’t have tariff independence, according to an official.