The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is the planning authority for the 514 sq km at Dahanu taluka

Published on: Aug 17, 2026, 08:13:00 IST

Prefer HTon Google

Share via
Copy link

PALGHAR: While the massive Vadhvan Port takes shape on paper, two townships have also been planned in the vicinity: one around the bullet train station at Boisar and the second at Dahanu taluka. Recently, CM Devendra Fadnavis announced plans for a ‘Fourth Mumbai’ around Vadhvan Port while the Maharashtra Maritime Board has cleared another port at Murbe.

The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is the planning authority for the 514 sq km at Dahanu taluka. However, MSRDC chief Anil Gaikwad told that 70 per cent of the area was an eco-sensitive zone. “We will do the planning for approximately 150 sq km—allied industries, residential and commercial projects related to the port,” he said. The local planning authority will also help us.” Gaikwad said that MSRDC would soon publish a draft plan.

The Palghar district administration will oversee the development around the Boisar bullet train station. An official said that a township was being planned 500 metres around the bullet train station with an FSI of 5. “We plan to construct very tall buildings but there are height restrictions imposed by the Tarapur Atomic Power station,” he said. “We will have to seek clearance from them.”

The ₹76,220-crore Vadhvan Port and its environs will be a goldmine for industries and builders. An industrial giant is coming up with a textile park there while another corporate is in talks with the government for a petrochemical refinery in Palghar. “The port will be very lucrative for builders, as apart from residential complexes for port workers and officials, hotels, eateries, schools, hospitals and mechanical engineering complexes will also come up,” said an official posted in Palghar.

Architect Manoj Daisaria said that Fourth Mumbai was “a well-conceived plan to develop the Palghar-Vadhvan-Boisar belt and a step forward to decongest metropolitan cities”. “A planned Vadhvan Port, a third airport, a bullet train stop and a Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor will enhance the development of a well-planned integrated township,” he said.

There are also those with differing viewpoints. Retired additional chief secretary and urban planner T C Benjamin said that while Vadhvan was actually one of the stronger cases in Maharashtra where a port-adjoining township could become economically self-sustaining, it would be unwise to construct a large township abutting the port. “The port itself will require relatively little residential population,” he said. “Container terminals, cranes, automated handling systems, logistics yards and freight movement can generate enormous economic activity without generating a proportionately large resident population.”

Benjamin said that he instead envisaged a Vadhvan-Dahanu-Boisar/Palghar urban-economic corridor developing sequentially over 15 to 20 years. “It should develop naturally lest the whole system becomes unsustainable,” he said. “Last but not the least, availability of a fairly massive source of water is important to sustain the development.”

Landscape architect Reshma Sathe warned that Vadhvan Port and upcoming Murbe Port would cause the population density to explode. “These townships will not house just port-related logistics and housing,” she said. “They will define the ecological resilience of the entire coastal belt for the next 50 years and more.”

Sathe pointed out that port townships face unique pressures: high dust, salinity, heat islands, heavy vehicular movement and a flood risk during monsoons. “The 19 villages being absorbed have a rich local ecology and traditional knowledge,” she said. “The planners should design open spaces as ‘native grove parks’ where trees such as mango, jackfruit and amla can double as community food forests and medicinal natives like ashwagandha, tulsi, brahmi in pocket parks can support local health practices. This preserves the Warli-Katkari cultural landscape instead of erasing it.”

The architect said that an FSI of 5 would engulf the area in concrete and there needed to be a 30% open-space mandate. “Apart from this, using native tree canopies can reduce ambient temps by 3°C to 4°C, improve stormwater percolation and act as a green buffer against port-related pollution,” she said. “Species like babul, khair and palas are excellent for dust absorption.”

Sathe pointed out that Vadhvan and Murbe would make Palghar an economic gateway. “But if the townships are planned with concrete and imported palms, we’ll lose what makes this coast liveable,” she said. “It is important to understand the difference between just greening and meaningful greening. Open spaces designed with indigenous plants are not an aesthetic choice. They are infrastructure for climate resilience, water security, cultural identity, and public health in a port region. Let these townships be the first in India to show that a mega-port and a native forest can grow together.”

Catch every big hit, every wicket with Crickit, a one stop destination for Live Scores, Match Stats, Infographics & much more. Explore now!



Stay updated with all the Breaking News and Latest News from Mumbai. Click here for comprehensive coverage of top Cities including Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, and more across India along with Stay informed on the latest happenings in World News.

See Less