Tariff Authority of Major Ports (TAMP) may seek the service of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to probe anti-competitive practices of terminal operators or port companies in future.
With the shipping ministry set to liberalise tariff regime in the port sector, the possibility of cartelisation and other anti-competitive behaviour exists.
According to the new draft guidelines for tariff at major ports, TAMP will initially set a reference rate for different cargo and berths, especially for bidding purposes. But the companies can go for a rate higher than the ceiling set by TAMP.
If they want to charge below the reference price, companies need not take permission from TAMP. But if they want to charge above the reference price, Tamp has to be informed four months in advance.
Out of this, one month is kept for other companies and stakeholders to respond to the proposed tariff. At this point though, if the regulatory body apprehends any unfair trade practice, it will refer the matter to the CCI.
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