"Vadhavan Port Receives Environmental Clearance, Cabinet Approval Imminent: Sonowal"

The Environment Ministry has given the green light to the ambitious ₹76,000 crore Vadhavan deep-sea port project, situated off the coast of Mumbai. Union Minister for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, confirmed that the project is now slated for Cabinet approval.

Sonowal revealed that Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) clearances were secured on February 15, marking a significant milestone in the project's progression.

Previously, the expert appraisal committee of the Environment Ministry had recommended environmental and coastal regulatory zone clearances for the mega-port project. Sonowal emphasized, "Environment, including the CRZ clearances, apart from other approvals, have been received. The coastal regulatory zone clearance came in on Thursday. We will now take it to the Cabinet for approval. The Cabinet will decide whether the project will get a green signal in entirety or in a phase-wise manner."

The Union Cabinet, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had given 'in-principle' approval to establish the port near Dahanu in Palghar district, Maharashtra.

Despite facing initial opposition from farmers, fishermen, and locals, the project underwent revisions that escalated the total cost to over ₹76,000 crore, surpassing the earlier estimated ₹66,000 crore.

The Vadhavan port will follow a "landlord model" and will be developed by the Vadhavan Port Project Ltd, a special purpose vehicle (SPV) jointly owned by the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) and the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB). Extensive surveys and studies on various environmental aspects and impacts of the port have been conducted by agencies in India.

Construction of the port, with a natural draft of 20 meters depth at a distance of 5 km, will be executed in phases. In its initial phase, the port is projected to handle 15 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) containers, with capacity expected to rise to 23.2 million TEUs after the completion of the second phase.

Sonowal disclosed that the SPV will invest approximately ₹37,000 crore towards setting up basic infrastructure, while private operators interested in operating the deep-draft port are expected to contribute around ₹38,000 crore.

"The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the project has already been prepared," Sonowal concluded.

HBL