Hyderabad: Private ports in Andhra Pradesh are set to lose their exclusive rights with the AP government deciding to cancel the GOs pertaining to its ports policy to accommodate more ports in the private sector.

However, the ports’ managements are likely to take up a legal battle against the state on the issue.

The TD government has alleged that the erstwhile Congress government had given exclusive rights to private ports over a 100-km coastline where others cannot set up new ports.

AP government plans to develop 14 ports in the state. While the construction of Kakinada, Krishnapatnam, Gangavaram and Kakinada SEZ ports are underway, the government has sought a report from officials to set up 10 more ports.

During his Japan visit, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu found that there were ports within two to three kilometre of each other.

The AP government feels that if more ports are developed, the increased competition among the ports will be beneficial for trade.

However, it will not be possible to set up new ports unless the present policy is changed.

Finance minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu said that the government had decided to cancel existing GOs on ports and would bring in a new policy allowing for more ports in the private sector.

He added that the present ports policy of the state did not allow setting up of new ports and alleged that the previous Congress government had given monopoly to some private ports by not allowing new ports to come up.