No Construction at Vadhavan Port Until February 28, JNPA Assures Supreme Court
In a significant development, the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) assured the Supreme Court that no construction activities will take place at the proposed site of the Vadhavan Port in Palghar district until February 28, 2025, the date of the next hearing.
This assurance was provided by the JNPA after the Supreme Court expressed its inclination to maintain the status quo until the next hearing. The case pertains to a special leave petition filed by the National Fishworkers’ Forum and others, challenging a decision made by the Bombay High Court. The case was heard on February 7, 2025, by a bench comprising Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan. During the proceedings, the Attorney General of India, representing the JNPA, confirmed that no work will commence at the Vadhavan Port site until the next date of hearing, February 28, 2025.
The Vadhavan Port, set to be India’s largest container port, holds immense significance for the nation’s logistics and trade infrastructure. The foundation stone for the port was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 30, 2024. The port project, which is expected to cost Rs 76,000 crore, is projected to position India among the world’s top 10 deep-water ports and significantly boost trade, industrial development, and economic growth, particularly in Maharashtra. At the foundation stone-laying ceremony, Modi emphasized the port’s potential to create new business opportunities, warehousing facilities, and a streamlined cargo transportation network, connecting the port with critical infrastructure like the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor and the Delhi-Mumbai Rail Corridor.
Despite facing legal challenges, the authorities have initiated the process of acquiring 574 hectares of land from 25 villages in Dahanu taluka, which will be used for the project. However, a significant portion of the land—approximately 50%—is classified as forest land. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has applied for forest clearance to construct an access-controlled highway to the port, which would involve the removal of over 10,000 trees. Notices have been issued to landowners and businesses impacted by the project. JNPA authorities have indicated that tendering for the near-shore reclamation work is expected to begin by the end of February 2025. The project is a joint venture between the JNPA, which will hold a 74% stake, and the Maharashtra Maritime Board, which will hold 26%.
The port will be equipped with a 32 km road and a 12 km rail link, connecting it to the Mumbai-Vadodara Highway and the Mumbai-Vadodara Expressway. With a 15,363.5-hectare waterfront and extensive intertidal and berth zones, the port is expected to handle 23.2 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) annually, establishing it as a major logistics hub for Maharashtra, Gujarat, and the National Capital Region (NCR). The Vadhavan Port project follows the landlord model, where the state will provide basic infrastructure, and private concessionaires will develop and operate cargo terminals under public-private partnership (PPP) agreements. Construction is slated to begin post-monsoon in 2025, with operations expected to commence in 2029. Additionally, plans are underway to build an international airport in the Palghar district.
