HC allows mangrove diversion for coastal highway, orders turtle nesting safeguards

The Bombay High Court permitted the diversion of 0.4479 hectares of mangroves and the felling of 75 mangroves for the Revas-Reddi Coastal Highway, describing the project as of public importance. The court directed MSRDC to file an affidavit within four weeks stating that turtle nesting sites along the route would be protected and that no construction would occur during the turtle nesting season (October to March). It also asked for measures including noise barriers, avoidance of lights near nesting sites, protection of creek flow, no waste disposal in the coastal area, and overall protection of coastal ecology and biodiversity. The court noted the 1.50 hectares of land identified by the mangrove cell in Raigad for compensatory plantation (10x restoration) and the ₹71.10 lakh deposit, and accepted the 10-fold plantation proposal as part of the environmental safeguards, while observing no malafide action in prior approvals.

MSRDC filed a petition earlier in 2026 seeking the court's permission to divert and fell mangroves for the second of four packages of the highway upgrade (Bankot to Jaigad), arguing public importance.

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change granted in-principle clearance for diversion and felling of mangroves for the Revas-Reddi Coastal Highway project, as stated by the MSRDC.

The Bombay High Court held that mangroves could not be destroyed for private or commercial purposes unless the court found the move to be in public interest, in a public interest litigation filed by the Bombay Environment Action Group (BEAG).