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Port Expansion Halted: NGT Cites Flawed Clearance
10 Oct
Summary
- NGT stayed port's channel deepening project over procedural flaws.
- Concerns remain over coal and ore handling capacity increases.
- Environmental clearance included irrelevant conditions for incinerators.
The Western Zone Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has extended an interim stay on the environmental and coastal regulation zone (CRZ) clearance for the Mormugao Port Authority's (MPA) channel deepening project. This decision, made on 2026-10-10T06:26:14+00:00, halts the project, which had received clearance on July 21, 2025. The tribunal cited procedural irregularities and the inclusion of irrelevant environmental conditions as reasons for the continued pause.
The bench questioned the inclusion of conditions typically associated with industrial incinerators and municipal landfills, such as monitoring dioxins and volatile organic compounds, within the port's clearance. The NGT's intervention follows a previous quashing of a clearance in February 2016 due to bypassed mandatory public consultations. Appellants have raised concerns about escalating coal dust pollution in Vasco, driven by the project's aim to increase coal and ore handling capacity significantly.
Concerns also persist regarding the potential environmental impact of dredging operations on the Zuari estuary bed and riverbanks. Minutes from a Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority meeting in May 2024 highlighted warnings about the effects of dredging. The NGT has directed the MPA to submit a compliance report within three weeks, with the matter scheduled for reconsideration on November 2.
