New Delhi, Feb 28 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Centre to consider appointing an expert body over the impending damage to environment due to the Vadhavan port in Maharashtra.

A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan perused the status report on the port filed by attorney general R Venkataramani which said no substantial work was scheduled to be carried out for time being.

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"Attorney general has placed on record a detailed status of Vadhavan Port project. The details show that at present only the land acquisition work is in progress and physical possession of land is expected by October 2025. The commencement of road work is to start in October 2025," the court said.

The bench said as far as the reclamation went, a survey was scheduled to being in July, 2025 and commencement of work would be after the acquisition of land near the shore.

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"We take statements made on record. We make it clear that land acquisition will be subject to further orders which may be passed in this special leave petition. In view of this, we are not considering the prayer for grant of interim relief," it added.

The matter would come up on May 6.

Asking the Centre to consider the proposition of an expert agency, the bench allowed it to move court early for an appropriate direction.

The top court was hearing an appeal by the National Fishworkers Forum and Conservation Action Trust against a Bombay High Court order, which dismissed their plea.

The petitioners challenged a no-objection certificate granted by the Dahanu Taluka Environment Protection Authority for the construction of a new port at Vadhavan.

The Dahanu Taluka Environment Protection Authority on July 31, 2023, granted NOC to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority to develop the greenfield port.

The Centre in June last year approved the development of a Rs 76,200 crore all-weather greenfield deep draft major Port at Vadhavan in Maharashtra, according to an official statement.

The project would be constructed by Vadhavan Port Project Limited (VPPL), an SPV formed by Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) and Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB), with a shareholding of 74 per cent and 26 per cent, respectively. PKS

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