The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), in collaboration with the state Maritime Board, is planning to establish a quarry on 100 hectares of Waldland for the Vadhavan port project in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, as stated by JNPA Chairperson Unmesh Wagh.
The State Ministry of Forest has issued a government resolution (GR) permitting a geo-technical survey of 295.23 hectares of dense forest in Khanivade and Gargaon villages. This survey will include 20 boreholes, and based on the findings, JNPA will identify 100 hectares for the quarry site, Wagh confirmed.
The GR ensures that the legal status of the land remains unchanged during the survey, and no trees may be cut at this stage. However, the project faces backlash from environmental activists who argue that the quarry could jeopardize the region’s delicate ecology. Critics point out that the proposed quarry site is a densely forested area vital to tribal communities and was not disclosed during public hearings regarding the Vadhavan Port Project.
