Visakhapatnam: In a strong endorsement of India’s maritime trade reforms, Visakhapatnam MP M Sribharat supported the Bills of Lading Bill, 2024 in Parliament, emphasising its importance in providing a robust legal framework to adapt to the constantly evolving landscape of international trade.

Highlighting key achievements such as the doubling of cargo handling capacity at major ports, nine Indian ports ranking among the top 100 globally and a notable reduction in turnaround time, the MP mentioned the NDA government’s commitment to strengthening the maritime sector.

Keeping the high freight costs in view, Sribharat raised concerns about increasing freight costs that impact trade competitiveness and urged the government to take measures to reduce shipping expenses.

He pointed out that nearly 95 per cent of India’s international cargo is transported on foreign vessels, stressing the urgent need to develop shipbuilding clusters to manufacture large mother ships and reduce dependence on foreign carriers.

Also, in order to accommodate mega vessels requiring an 18-metre draft, he highlighted the depth limitations at Indian ports, most of which range between 14 to 16 metres. He proposed a dredging subsidy for major ports, including the Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT), similar to practices followed in foreign countries where governments absorb dredging costs to attract larger vessels. This would enhance India’s competitiveness and facilitate the development of transshipment hubs.

Highlighting the importance of promoting cruise tourism, the MP spoke about the Rs 100 crore investment in the Vizag cruise terminal. However, he pointed out that Visakhapatnam Port Authority currently lacks an e-visa facility, which is available in other major ports and urged the Centre to coordinate with the relevant ministry to introduce such facility at VPA.

“With a 975-km-long coastline and 14 notified minor/non-major ports, there is a larger scope for immense growth potential of the State’s maritime sector. The new maritime policy introduced by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, was aimed at modernising infrastructure and actively positioning AP as a key player in global maritime trade,” the MP stressed.

Earlier, the MP raised the pressing issue of food adulteration in Lok Sabha. From production and storage to processing and packaging, he mentioned that food adulteration pervades every stage of the supply chain, posing severe risks to public health.

Citing alarming statistics from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Sribharat highlighted that nearly 20 per cent of food samples tested are found to be adulterated. He highlighted major challenges, including a weak regulatory framework, inadequate penalties, using unhealthy ingredients, and a shortage of food testing laboratories.

Proposing a multi-pronged approach to address the crisis, the MP called for strengthening regulatory systems, enforcing stricter penalties to deter adulteration, offering GST benefits to companies that uphold high food safety standards and increasing the number of food testing labs from the current 242.