Mumbai, Feb. 6 -- Despite strong opposition from local residents, fisherfolk and activists, the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) has cleared a proposal to construct an all-weather, multi-cargo, greenfield deepwater port at Murbe in Palghar district, a project that will require the removal of up to 4,859 mangroves. The port will be developed by JSW Infrastructure. The company received a letter of intent from the Maharashtra Maritime Board in October 2024 to develop, operate, manage and maintain the facility. The proposal was cleared at an MCZMA meeting on January 19, the minutes of which were uploaded online on February 2. According to the minutes, the port will have 16 berths with a handling capacity of about 134.07 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of solid and liquid cargo. It is intended to handle captive cargo for the JSW Group and serve nearby industrial clusters. Ports minister Nitesh Rane said, "This project was approved by the earlier government [led by Eknath Shinde] and has been given a nod by the MCZMA now. It will be sent to the Centre for the final nod." However, Monalisa Tare, sarpanch of the Murbe village and a BJP leader, said, "We are opposed to the project. The fishermen will face losses. Their livelihood depends on fishing." A JSW spokesperson said the development of the port "will be accompanied by robust, science-based ecological restoration to ensure long-term environmental balance". "Development of port infrastructure involves carefully regulated activities such as dredging and channelisation, which may require limited removal of existing vegetation, all undertaken within a stringent regulatory and environmental framework. Identification of the affected areas and their mitigation measures, including afforestation, etc, is a part of the due process and is done after following all the recommendations and extant regulations," the spokesperson added. The Murbe port will come up 40 km away from Vadhavan port....