Vadhavan port to be three times bigger than Jawaharlal Nehru Port

The state government-run Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) has also commenced a pre-feasibility study for the development of a greenfield airport around the Vadhavan area of Palghar.

The upcoming Vadhavan Port in Palghar will be three times bigger than the Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Nhava Sheva in Raigad, which is the premier container-handling port in India, accounting for around 50 per cent of the total containerised cargo volume across the major ports of India.

Vadhavan (also spelled Wadhawan) — in Palghar district — is located some 140 km away from downtown Mumbai, along the Maharashtra-Gujarat boundary.

The Wadhawan Port — a greenfield, all-weather port — is coming up in Vadhavan, for which Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed the groundbreaking ceremony last year. The total project cost, including the land acquisition component, is Rs 76,220 crore.

The project will be constructed by Vadhavan Port Project Ltd (VPPL), an SPV formed by the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) and the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB), with a shareholding of 74 per cent and 26 per cent, respectively, official sources said. This will include the development of core infrastructure, terminals, and other commercial infrastructure in public-private partnership (PPP) mode.

On the other hand, the state government-run Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) has commenced a pre-feasibility study for the development of a greenfield airport around the Vadhavan area of Palghar.

There would also be road connectivity between the Vadhavan Port and national highways of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, and rail linkage to the existing rail network and the upcoming Dedicated Rail Freight Corridor by the Ministry of Railways. The port will comprise nine container terminals, each 1,000 metres long; four multipurpose berths, including the coastal berth; four liquid cargo berths; a Ro-Ro berth; and a Coast Guard berth.

“The upcoming Vadhavan Port will be three times larger than JNPA and is expected to rank among the world’s top 10 ports. This port is set to give rise to a new economy over the next 20 years, with Mumbai alone having the potential to be a 1.5 trillion-dollar economy,” Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday during an interaction with IFS officers in a Career Training Programme session at Sahyadri Guest House in Mumbai.

The discussion with the IFS officers also covered Maharashtra’s role in foreign policy, international investment opportunities, various global projects in the state, and its contribution towards a developed India.

During the chat, Fadnavis spoke in detail about the transformation of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

Fadnavis talked about infrastructure projects for Mumbai’s overall development, including the Coastal Road, Atal Setu, and the Third Mumbai.

He also announced that an Edu City would be built on 200 acres, hosting 12 leading international universities and accommodating around 1 lakh students.

“Additionally, an Innovation City on 300 acres and a Knowledge City on 1,000 acres are planned, which will make Mumbai a leader in the technology sector and transform the city’s landscape within 5 years,” he said.