HC asks state govt to assess livelihood losses of 3,151 fishermen affected by Navi Mumbai airport works

NAVI MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has directed the Maharashtra government to set up a High Power Committee (HPC) to assess livelihood losses suffered by 3,151 traditional fishing communities due to the construction of bridges and other infrastructure projects for the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA)

NAVI MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has directed the Maharashtra government to set up a High Power Committee (HPC) to assess livelihood losses suffered by 3,151 traditional fishing communities due to the construction of bridges and other infrastructure projects for the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA).

A division bench of Chief Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Justice Advait M Sethna directed the state to constitute the committee within two weeks of the order being uploaded. The affected fishermen will have three weeks to submit their claims, which the committee must examine and decide within the next three months.

The petition was filed by the Maharashtra Small-Scale Traditional Fish Workers’ Union, representing fishermen from seven koliwadas — Diwale, Vaghivali, Peth, Rodpali, Belpada, Motha Kanda and Taloja.

The committee will include representatives of Cidco, the Fisheries Department, the Revenue and Forest Department, the police responsible for the Ulwe-Panvel Creek area, the Raigad district collector and the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO). The NIO representative will also represent the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA).

However, union president Nandkumar Pawar questioned the need for another committee, pointing out that one had already been set up to examine fishermen’s grievances arising from the Thane Creek Bridge-III (TCB-III) project in the same geographical region.

The union clarified that it was not opposing the airport project or seeking a stay on construction, recognising its national importance. Its demand was limited to compensation for the loss of livelihood allegedly caused by the infrastructure work.

The dispute centres on the construction of stilt bridges, including the 1,762.87-metre SBR-9 bridge across Panvel creek, and other associated structures. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated three bridges built by Cidco for airport connectivity on October 25. These included SBR-9 and BR-4 and BR-5 across the Gadhi river in Panvel.

The fishermen alleged that construction of the bridge pillars had narrowed creek channels, caused silt and debris to accumulate, increased water turbidity and obstructed traditional boat routes.

The community depends on doll-net fishing, which requires steady tidal movement. The union claimed that changes in water flow, depth and quality had affected fish breeding grounds and reduced catches. It also blamed the diversion and realignment of the Ulwe and Gadhi rivers for changes in the estuary’s ecology.

“Our people have fished these waters for generations, but the tidal flow has changed, the creek has narrowed, and our catch has collapsed. Earlier, our boats moved freely. Now, the water is shallow, muddy, and blocked by construction,” Pawar said.

The union had approached Cidco and other authorities between July and September 2025, seeking compensation. Cidco rejected the claims on October 30, 2025, maintaining that its work had not caused the alleged ecological damage. The union subsequently approached the High Court on November 19, 2025.

The petition also questioned whether the environmental impact of the off-site infrastructure had been adequately assessed. While the airport received environmental clearance in 2010, the union alleged that mandatory assessments, including rapid environmental impact and hydrological studies for the extensive road network and interchanges, had not been carried out. It also cited a 2011 recommendation by the MCZMA seeking a study of the hydraulic flow of the river along the proposed road.

In its order, the High Court relied on its July 16, 2021 judgement in Mariyayi Macchimar Sahkari Sanstha Maryadit v. Department of Fisheries, Maharashtra and Others, which had established a committee mechanism to examine fishermen’s compensation claims. Agreeing with the reasoning and directions in that case, the bench ordered a similar mechanism to assess the claims of fishermen affected by the NMIA works.