The Bombay High Court has cleared a major hurdle for the execution of the Vadhvan Port Project in Maharashtra's Palghar district by permitting the removal of mangrove patches falling within the approach area of the near-shore reclamation zone.

A Division Bench of Justices Bharati Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande, in an order passed on Tuesday, allowed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to cut 208 mangrove trees for constructing an eight-lane access-controlled highway that will connect the upcoming Vadhvan Port to National Highway-48.

The Bench observed that the project serves a significant public purpose and carries substantial economic importance. It noted that the project would provide critical connectivity to the proposed port, which has been identified as a nationally important infrastructure project.

"In our view, the said project being of public utility, would provide connectivity to the Vadhavan Port which is being developed as a major port on landlord port development model, which would open an opportunity for India to make it into the countries with top 10 container ports in the world," the Court said.

The NHAI approached the High Court seeking permission because of earlier directions issued in a long-pending public interest litigation on mangrove protection. Under those directions, authorities must obtain the Court's approval before removing mangroves, even for public infrastructure projects.

After examining the proposal, the Court found that the project proponent had obtained all the required environmental, Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) and forest clearances. It also noted that the authorities had fulfilled the conditions relating to compensatory afforestation.

According to the Court, the project proponent has undertaken the plantation of nearly 1.33 lakh mangroves across 30 hectares of land and deposited over ₹4.83 crore towards compensatory afforestation, apart from making other payments required under the forest clearance conditions.

With the High Court's approval, one of the key pending obstacles affecting the implementation of the Vadhvan Port Project has been resolved.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Vadhvan Port Project Limited (VVPL) said the clearance enables the project to move forward at full pace.

VVPL Chairman and Managing Director Gaurav Dayal said the approvals, coupled with progress across multiple workstreams, mark the beginning of a new phase for the project.

He added that the steady progress in securing approvals, developing infrastructure and coordinating with stakeholders has strengthened confidence that the project will be completed and commissioned within the targeted timeline.

The all-weather greenfield port is coming up near Dahanu in Palghar district through a special purpose vehicle formed by the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority and the Maharashtra Maritime Board.

The project will include nine container terminals, each measuring 1,000 metres in length, four multipurpose berths including a coastal berth, four liquid cargo berths, a Ro-Ro berth and a Coast Guard berth.

The ₹76,220-crore project also involves reclaiming 1,448 hectares of land from the sea, constructing a 10.14-km offshore breakwater, and developing container and cargo storage facilities.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the project on August 30, 2024. Once completed, the Vadhvan Port is expected to rank among the world's top 10 container ports.