MSRDC Proposes 106km Vadhavan Port Expressway Through Dahanu Eco Sensitive Area
The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has proposed a 106-kilometre greenfield expressway linking the upcoming Vadhavan Port to the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway. The proposed route, which will start at Tawa near Kasa on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway and connect at Bharvir Khurd near Igatpuri, has raised ecological concerns as it passes through the Dahanu Eco-Sensitive Area and the Jawhar-Mokhada forest region.
The MSRDC submitted the proposal for environmental clearance to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). According to the project documents, the six-lane expressway will cost ₹25 crore and require 1,715 hectares of land. This includes 212 hectares of forest land, with approximately 15 kilometres of the route estimated to pass through forests.
The alignment features 12 kilometres of tunnels and passes through eight villages classified as ecologically sensitive. Seven of these villages fall under the draft Western Ghats notification, while one is within the Dahanu Eco-Sensitive Area, which was notified by the central government in 1991. The proposed route is also located about 10 kilometres from the eco-sensitive zone of the Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary.
Environmentalists have strongly objected to the project's alignment. Debi Goenka, executive trustee of the Conservation Action Trust, stated that the proposal violates the 1991 Dahanu Eco-Sensitive Area notification. According to Goenka, this notification strictly prohibits changes in land use involving forests, orchards, and tribal-owned land. Goenka also noted that a similar violation by the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is currently sub judice before the Supreme Court, adding that local residents are often left uninformed about such projects.
In defense of the alignment, the MSRDC stated that it evaluated three different route options before selecting this final path. The corporation maintained that the chosen alignment optimises the geometry of the expressway, reduces dependence on existing roads, and establishes a fully access-controlled, high-speed corridor.
According to the proposal, the project will ensure faster and uninterrupted freight movement between the Vadhavan Port Road and the Samruddhi Expressway. The MSRDC also expects the project to attract domestic and foreign investment, boost industrial productivity, strengthen the Palghar-Nashik automotive manufacturing belt, and create jobs.
Detailed Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping and forest verification for the route are still pending. The MSRDC has sought environmental clearance but has not yet disclosed the total number of trees that would be affected by the construction.
