Mumbai: Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal announced that the proposed Vadhavan Port in Palghar district, Maharashtra, will generate 12 lakh jobs for local youth and women. Speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony at CIDCO ground in Palghar, Sonowal emphasized the project’s potential to transform the region by creating multiple facilities and opportunities for the local community.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the mega project, with Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar in attendance. The port, located 150 km from Mumbai, is designed as an all-weather, greenfield deep draft port.
The Union Cabinet approved the project in June 2024. It will see an investment of ₹76,200 crore, covering core infrastructure, terminals, and commercial facilities in a public-private partnership (PPP) model. The first phase is expected to be completed by 2029. Sonowal highlighted the port’s role in improving India’s maritime reputation, noting that it will establish Palghar as a global destination and make India self-sufficient over the next 25 years.
The port, to be built by Vadhavan Port Project Limited (VPPL)—a joint venture between Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) and Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) will include nine container terminals, multipurpose berths, liquid cargo berths, and more. The facility will create a cumulative capacity of 298 million metric tonnes per annum, including 23.2 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalents) of container handling capacity.
