Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai

Mumbai, Jun 25: The Bombay High Court has permitted the removal of mangrove patches for the construction of an access road to the upcoming Vadhvan Port in Maharashtra's Palghar district, paving the way for faster implementation of one of India's largest port infrastructure projects.

A division bench comprising Justices Bharati Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande allowed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to remove 208 mangrove trees required for the construction of an eight-lane access-controlled highway linking the proposed Vadhvan Port with National Highway-48.

The court observed that the project is of significant public and economic importance and noted that all mandatory statutory approvals had already been secured.

Highlighting the strategic value of the project, the bench said the port and its connectivity infrastructure would strengthen India's maritime logistics network and boost the country's position in global trade.

"In our view, the project being of public utility would provide connectivity to the Vadhvan Port, which is being developed as a major port and could help India emerge among the countries with the top 10 container ports in the world," the court observed.

The High Court noted that the project authorities had obtained all necessary environmental, Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) and forest clearances before seeking judicial approval.

The NHAI had approached the court in compliance with earlier directions issued in a long-standing public interest litigation concerning mangrove conservation, under which prior court approval is required before any mangrove trees can be removed.

According to the court, the project authorities have fulfilled the required compensatory afforestation obligations. As part of environmental mitigation measures, approximately 1.33 lakh mangroves have been planted across 30 hectares of land, while over Rs 4.83 crore has been deposited towards compensatory afforestation and related environmental commitments.

Following the court's order, Vadhvan Port Project Limited (VVPL) said key hurdles affecting project implementation had now been addressed, enabling work to progress more rapidly.

VVPL Chairman and Managing Director Gaurav Dayal described the development as a major milestone and said the project was moving ahead steadily through coordinated efforts in approvals, planning and stakeholder engagement.

The Vadhvan Port is being developed near Dahanu in Palghar district through a special purpose vehicle jointly promoted by the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) and the Maharashtra Maritime Board.

The greenfield all-weather port will feature nine container terminals, four multipurpose berths, four liquid cargo berths, a roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) berth and a dedicated Coast Guard berth. The project also includes large-scale land reclamation, construction of a 10.14-km offshore breakwater and extensive cargo handling infrastructure.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the Rs 76,220-crore Vadhvan Port project on August 30, 2024. Once completed, the facility is expected to substantially enhance India's cargo handling capacity and position itself among the world's leading container ports.