Mumbai, June 20 (IANS) A day after the Union Cabinet approved the Rs 76,220 crore deep-water port at Vadhavan near Dahanu in Maharashtra, the Chairman of the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), Umesh Wagh, said on Thursday that the first phase will be commissioned in 2029 and the second phase during 2032 and 2037.
Wagh said the JNPA has held several interactions with the villagers and tried to address the various concerns with regard to damage to the environment, dip in fish catch, or the acquisition of land.
Wagh said there was no proposal for a crude oil refinery, saying that these are only rumours.
‘’Let me tell you, there is no proposal for import of crude, hence there’s no question of a refinery,” he said.
On concerns over land acquisition and displacement, Wagh said not an inch of land will be acquired for the port project.
“So there is no question of displacement. There is no doubt left in this particular aspect,’’ he said.
The port infrastructure comprises nine container terminals, each 1 km in length, four multipurpose berths, four liquid cargo berths, a Ro-Ro berth, a coastal cargo berth, and a coast guard berth. The project involves the reclamation of 1,448 hectares in offshore areas and construction of 10.4 km of breakwater, container/cargo storage areas.
On the concern regarding flooding due to this big project, Wagh said the JNPA is going 6 km inside.
“Exhaustive scientific studies have been carried out which clearly said that as this is an offshore project, there will be no flooding due to the project development,’’ he added.
On concern regarding the livelihood of the fishermen, Wagh admitted that it is a very important aspect.
“Except for a 30 sq km of area, the fishermen can do fishing everywhere. If the fishermen need to shift from the 30 sq km area, we will provide compensation as per the Maharashtra government’s policy. While we have got all the clearances, it doesn’t mean that we will not talk to the fishermen and the villagers. Our offices are open for talks 24×7. Any demand of theirs is most welcome. We will address all their concerns,” he added.
–IANS
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