KERALA’S LEGAL VOYAGE TOWARDS COMPREHENSIVE PORT DEVELOPMENT IN THE BLUE ECONOMY: AN ANALYSIS

Water is one of the major sources of existence without which no lives will survive in the world.
In that the ocean covers 70 percent of Earth's surface. It contains about 1.35 billion cubic
kilometres (324 million cubic miles) of water, which is about 97 percent of all the water on
Earth.1 India is having a vast coastline of approximately 7,500 kilometres which spreads across
nine coastal states and two Union Territories (Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep).
India has 12 major ports and 217 minor ports. These ports form the backbone of India’s
maritime trade and economic activities, facilitating the movement of goods, boosting regional
economies, and enabling India's engagement with global trade. India is strategically positioned
as a maritime nation, offering immense opportunities for leveraging the blue economy for its
economic growth and maritime development. Among the states of India, Kerala is one of the
states which has 590 km of coastline. Kerala boasts one major port at Cochin and 17 classified
non-major ports2. Available potential along Kerala's coastline can be used to support the
shipping industry's and maritime trade's long-term expansion. This article explains about the
Kerala’s port development as one of the blue economy initiatives and effective legal remedies
made by the state to the displacement of the coastal community which arose due to the port
development.