Vadhavan Port: Green Nod, Cabinet Approval Soon

New Delhi, Feb 16 (PTI) The Vadhavan Port in Palghar district of Maharashtra, has received environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the shipping ministry will soon seek cabinet approval for the Rs 76,220 crore project, Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on Friday.

The Vadhavan Port is being developed by the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) and the Maharashtra Maritime Board and has received in-principle approval from the Centre on February 13, 2020, while the terms of reference (ToR) were approved on October 7, the same year.

"The Union Environment Ministry has given clearance to the Vadhavan Port project... We are soon going to get cabinet approval (for the project)," the Ports, Shipping and Waterways minister told reporters here.

The port, with an estimated construction cost of Rs 76,220 crore, was approved by the Dahanu Taluka Environment Protection Authority (DTEPA) on July 31, 2023.

The plan to set up a port at Vadhavan has been opposed by locals, farmers and fishermen.

A public hearing for people to air their grievances and give suggestions for the upcoming mega Vadhavan port in Palghar district in Maharashtra was held last month.

Vadhavan port has natural depth and proximity to inland clusters, and is located close to the upcoming dedicated freight corridors, which will reduce maintenance cost.

Vadhavan Port boasts a natural draft of approximately 20 metres near the shore and is well-suited for accommodating larger container vessels ranging from 16,000 to 25,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).

The project will have sophisticated cargo handling systems with minimal environmental impact.

The new port will be developed by Vadhavan Port Project Ltd, a joint venture between JNPA (74 per cent stake) and Maharashtra Maritime Board (26 per cent stake), in two phases under the landlord model, as per the government policy.