National Green Tribunal Stays Clearance for Mormugao Port Channel Deepening in Goa

The National Green Tribunal’s Western Zone Bench in Pune has stayed the operationalisation of the environmental clearance and Coastal Regulation Zone clearance granted to the Mormugao Port Authority’s channel-deepening project in Goa.

In an interim order, the bench said that after hearing arguments and noting discrepancies in the grant of the clearances, the clearances shall not be operationalised until the next date of hearing. The matter is listed for 2 November.

The clearances were issued on 21 July 2025 for a project titled “Deepening of approach channel for cape-size vessels.” Appellants Rupesh Shinkre, Sanjay Redkar and Jayesh Shetgaonkar challenged the clearances in an appeal filed in September. They raised issues of air and water pollution, increased coal and ore handling, dredging impacts and gaps in the environmental assessment.

Scale and local concerns

Fisherfolk organisations have welcomed the stay. Representatives said the project aims to allow cape-size vessels and could raise coal-handling capacity at certain berths from 12 million tonnes per annum to 42.1 million tonnes per annum. They cited an earlier NGT decision in 2016 that set aside a previous clearance for lack of a public hearing.

A January 2024 inspection by the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority noted that deepening a 9.66-kilometre channel to 19 metres would generate roughly 15 million cubic metres of dredged material. The tribunal directed the port authority to place on record within two weeks evidence that an IIT Bombay source-apportionment study on air quality in Vasco da Gama was presented to the Expert Appraisal Committee when the clearances were considered.

The interim order keeps the project on hold while the tribunal examines the procedural and substantive objections. Port operations continue under existing clearances, but the specific channel-deepening work cannot proceed under the July 2025 approvals until the November hearing.