India News | Whether PM Modi Will Agree to This: Cong After Centre Asked to Consider Expert Agency for Environmental Impact of Vadhavan Port Project

New Delhi, Feb 28 (PTI) After the Supreme Court asked the Centre to consider appointing an expert body over impending environmental damage due to Vadhavan port, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday asked if Prime Minister Narendra Modi would agree to allow the agency to remain independent.

"It is mildly good news that a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court today urged the Union Government to consider appointing an independent agency to examine the environmental and livelihood loss concerns that have been raised on the Vadhavan port project in Maharashtra.

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"Whether the PM will agree to this and allow such an agency to be truly independent is, of course, another matter. Meanwhile he persists in going ahead with the ecological disaster that the Great Nicobar mega infrastructure project is. It is not rocket science to figure out the moving spirit behind such port projects," Ramesh said in a post on X.

He said this after 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.

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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.

"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.

"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.

Meanwhile, the Vadhavan Port Project Ltd (VPPL) said it has received the mining licence for offshore sand reclamation, which will pave the way for the development of the greenfield port in Palghar district.

The licence issued by the mines ministry marks a crucial step towards the creation of 1,448 hectares of reclaimed land in the sea, essential for the port's construction, the VPPL said in a statement.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)