25 June,2026 11:35 AM IST | Mumbai/Palghar | mid-day online correspondent
Bombay High Court. File Pic
The Bombay High Court has cleared the removal of mangrove patches for the construction of an access road to the upcoming Vadhvan Port in Maharashtra's Palghar district, a decision expected to accelerate work on one of India's largest port infrastructure projects.
In an order passed on Tuesday, a division bench of 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 connecting the proposed Vadhvan Port to National Highway-48.
The court observed that the project carries significant public and economic importance and noted that the required statutory clearances had already been obtained.
While granting permission, the bench said the infrastructure project would play an important role in strengthening India's maritime logistics network.
"In our view, the said project being of public utility, would provide connectivity to the Vadhavan Port which is being developed as a major port on landlord port development model, which would open an opportunity for India to make it into the countries with top 10 container ports in the world," the court said.
The High Court also observed that the project proponent had secured all necessary environmental, Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) and forest clearances before approaching the court for approval.
The NHAI had approached the High Court seeking permission because of earlier directions issued in a long-pending public interest litigation concerning mangrove protection, which mandates prior judicial approval before mangrove trees can be removed, even for public infrastructure projects.
According to the court, the project authorities have fulfilled compensatory afforestation obligations.
The project proponent has undertaken the plantation of approximately 1.33 lakh mangroves over 30 hectares of land and deposited more than Rs 4.83 crore towards compensatory afforestation, in addition to other financial obligations required under forest clearance conditions.
The court noted that these measures formed part of the project's environmental compliance framework.
Following the court's approval, Vadhvan Port Project Limited (VVPL) said major pending issues affecting implementation had now been resolved, allowing work on the project to gather pace.
VVPL Chairman and Managing Director Gaurav Dayal said the latest approvals, along with progress on multiple infrastructure components, marked a significant milestone for the project.
The company said coordinated progress in approvals, construction planning and stakeholder engagement had strengthened confidence in completing the project within the planned schedule.
The Vadhvan Port is being developed near Dahanu in Palghar district through a special purpose vehicle formed by the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) and the Maharashtra Maritime Board.
The all-weather greenfield port will include nine container terminals, each measuring 1,000 metres in length, along with four multipurpose berths, four liquid cargo berths, a roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) berth and a dedicated Coast Guard berth.
The project also involves reclaiming around 1,448 hectares of land from the sea, constructing a 10.14-kilometre offshore breakwater and developing extensive cargo handling and storage 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 significantly enhance India's cargo handling capacity and is projected to rank among the world's top 10 container ports.
(With inputs from PTI)
