Dighi Port Industrial Area is All Set to Get Approval from the Ministry of Environment

Mumbai: The Dighi Port Industrial Area (DPIA) project, spread over 5,024 hectares in the Raigad district, is set to receive approval from the ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC). A proposal by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) has been suggested for environmental clearance by MoEFCC’s expert examination committee for a coastal regulation zone, ports, and national highways.

Recently, the Dighi Port authority had looked for the Centre’s consent to recover 304 extra hectares from the bordering Arabian Sea and Rajapuri creek to expand its tasks. On September 16, while suggesting environmental clearance, the ministry likewise conceded terms of reference to the port’s development proposal. Presently, an environmental impact assessment (EIA) study will be done, and based on the report, the nod might be given.

The ₹7360.46-crore DPIA project is supposed to be created close to the port expansion and will be a significant hub of the proposed Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC). No less than 4,500 trees will be felled, and 15 towns will be impacted by the undertaking, according to the EIA report. Around 88% of the land obtaining has been finished as of July.

“As a feature of the DMIC project, two industrial hubs were to be created. One is under development as Aurangabad Industrial City while the subsequent hub is planned to be port-based. We proposed this land in Raigad as Jawaharlal Nehru Port close to Mumbai is extremely clogged – both concerning maritime traffic and accessibility of land around the port,” an MIDC official, said.

The DPIA site is strategically located adjoining the Mumbai-Goa National Parkway, the Pune-Kolad Expressway, and the Pune-Harihareshwar Highway. It is around 117 km from Mumbai and 26 km east of Dighi Port. The industrial complex is probably going to take care of the engineering, food processing, and pharmaceutical industries.

Dighi Port Limited was obtained by Adani Ports and SEZ in February 2021 from Balaji Gathering, which had been conceded a 50-year concession by the Maharashtra Maritime Board to develop and operate it. The concessionaire offered a 100 percent stake in the port to Adani in a distress deal, in the wake of confronting mounting debts, of ₹705 crores under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016. Adani Ports at the time announced to invest of over ₹10,000 crores to form the port into a multi-cargo hub and to set up rail and road infrastructure.