JNPA Seeks 66 Hectares of Forest in Palghar for Vadhvan Port Quarrying
The Jawaharlal Nehru Ports Authority has sought the diversion of 66.63 hectares of forest land in Gargao and Khanivade villages across Palghar and Dahanu talukas for stone quarrying to construct the proposed Vadhvan Port. The Palghar district administration is preparing to send the proposal to the state pollution control board.
G. Vaidyanathan, chief general manager for port planning and development at JNPA, confirmed that the forest area is required for quarrying stones needed for port construction. Out of the 66.63 hectares, 2.53 hectares falls within the eco-sensitive taluka of Dahanu.
Niranjan Diwakar, deputy conservator of forests for Dahanu, said the plot contains medium tree cover of nearly 25,000 trees. At a public hearing conducted in Palghar on August 2, local villagers strongly opposed the diversion and the overall project.
Environmental activists and local organisations have raised concerns over the ecological impact on the region. Debi Goenka, executive trustee of the non-profit Conservation Action Trust, pointed out that earlier clearances, including environmental and CRZ permissions, were granted following claims by the union shipping ministry that forests and mangroves would not be impacted. Goenka noted that Dahanu is an eco-sensitive zone protected by notifications upheld by the Supreme Court.
Environmental activist D. Stalin argued that quarrying forested mountains would cause severe ecological damage, questioning the public consultation and Environmental Impact Assessment processes. He stated that breakwaters should use marine rocks rather than terrestrial materials.
Devendra Damodar Tandel, president of the Akhil Maharashtra Machhimar Kriti Samiti, stated that the project's own assessment indicates that 15.39 hectares of reserve forest would be mined and 15,116 trees felled while forest clearance remains pending. Tandel also criticised proposals for compensatory afforestation in Parbhani, arguing that planting saplings hundreds of kilometres away cannot offset the destruction of natural forest ecosystems in Palghar. He added that local fishing communities will continue to challenge the project through democratic and legal means.
