HC notice to state over Vadhavan port clearance

Notices were issued the Dahanu Taluka Environment Protection Authority (DTEPA), the state government and the central government on Friday, in response to a petition that contends the authority’s decision-making process was marred by deficiencies and unresponsive to the concerns of the predominantly adivasi local population

Mumbai: The Bombay high court has issued notices to the Dahanu Taluka Environment Protection Authority (DTEPA), the state government and the central government, seeking their responses to the DTEPA’s July 2023 clearance for a major port at Vadhavan in Dahanu taluka. The notices were issued on Friday, in response to a petition that contends the authority’s decision-making process was marred by deficiencies and unresponsive to the concerns of the predominantly adivasi local population.

HC notice to state over Vadhavan port clearance

The petition, filed by NGO Conservation Action Trust along with its trustee, environmentalist Debie Goenka, seeks quashing of the DTEPA order dated July 31, 2023, and a stay on its operation pending further disposal.

Dahanu taluka, located in Palghar district, was declared ecologically fragile by the central government following a 1991 notification. In 1996, the supreme court directed the central government to establish an authority to safeguard its fragile ecology and control pollution, which led to the formation of the DTEPA.

In September 1998, the DTEPA issued an order declaring any construction of a proposed mega port at Vadhavan in Dahanu as impermissible due to the environmental sensitivity of the area. However, in May 2022, the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority filed a formal application before the DTEPA, seeking clearance for the establishment of a major port at Vadhavan. Despite opposition from environmentalists and local stakeholders, the DTEPA granted the clearance in July 2023.

The petition argues that the DTEPA failed to consider the special status of Dahanu taluka as a Scheduled Area and removed members who raised valid concerns regarding the port, which compromised the impartiality of the decision-making process. The impugned order also violates fundamental rights and is signed by persons who are not members of the authority, it further states.

The next hearing is scheduled for March 14.