Ahmedabad: The BJP government in Gujarat on Wednesday sought to refute Congress leader Jairam Ramesh’s allegation that its proposed policy favours the Adani group, and claimed that it will apply equally to all port operators.

“Gujarat has been a leader in the maritime sector and currently handles the largest number of cargoes in the country. Based on the BOOT Policy 1997, Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) has entered into various concession agreements with an initial period of 30 years and with a provision for further extension afterwards for the development of ports through private and joint sector mode,” said the statement.

There have been several requests from port operators to extend the term of concession agreements, including proposals from PLL (Dahej) in 2012 and 2013, from APM Terminals (Pipavav) between 2011 and 2021 and from APSEZ Mundra in 2015 and 2021, the Gujarat government said.

As the first concession agreement with APM Terminal for Pipavav Port is set to expire in 2028, a policy decision on the extension of the concession agreement was necessary to provide clarity to investors involved in the port sector and avoid disruption of cargo movement, said the statement.