Union Cabinet approves road connectivity for Vadhvan Port ; Declaration of National Highway from NH 48 (Tawa Junction) to Vadhvan Port
MUMBAI : The Union Cabinet has approved the road connectivity for Vadhvan Port from NH 48 of about 32 KM and Authorized the Hon’ble Minister of MoRTH to make the relevant decision. The NHAI LAC has approved the alignment for the road connectivity, and notification for the acquisition will commence after MORTH declares the road as National Highway (NH).
The Gazette Notification of Govt of India has issued a declaration of National Highway from NH 48 (Tawa Junction) to Vadhvan Port on 12th August 2024. Regarding the crucial development of Vadhvan Port, Shri Unmesh Sharad Wagh, IRS, Chairman of JNPA, stated, “The construction of the road is a critical activity necessary to initiate the work at Vadhvan Port. It is essential for transporting quarry material from the sites to the port, as the local roads are too narrow for such heavy transportation. The declaration by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) to designate this road as a National Highway will expedite the process significantly.”
He further added, “Once the 3(A) notification is issued by NHAI, land acquisition will commence immediately. Simultaneously, NHAI will invite tenders for the construction of an initial two-lane road, approximately 20 KM long, to facilitate material transport. This road will be part of the dedicated connectivity to Vadhvan, with plans to extend it as required for full road connectivity to the port.”
The Union Cabinet approved the Vadhvan Port Project in June 2024 and later JNPA invited Expressions of Interest (EoI) for the development and maintenance of land to be created in offshore of Vadhvan Coast by dredging, reclamation and construction of an offshore protection bund for Vadhvan Port on PPP (HAM & Annuity Model) which garnered interest from several leading organisations. Construction of the port is expected to commence after the next monsoon, once the road connectivity is established.
About JNPA :
The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) is one of the premier container-handling ports in India. Since its inception on May 26, 1989, JNPA has transformed from a bulk cargo terminal into the premier container port in the country. Currently, JNPA operates five container terminals – NSFT, NSICT, NSIGT, BMCT and APMT. The Port also has a Shallow Water Berth for general cargo. A Liquid Cargo Terminal present at the JNPA Port is managed by the BPCL-IOCL consortium. Additionally, the newly constructed coastal berth links other Indian ports and facilitates enhancing the traffic of coastal containers. Nestled across 277 hectares of land, JNPA also operates a meticulously designed multi-product SEZ, with state-of-the-art infrastructure, to boost export-oriented industries in India. JNPA is also developing an all-weather, deep-draft, greenfield port at Vadhvan, in Maharashtra. It is poised to be among the top 10 ports globally and will be 100% green port since its inception.