Mumbai: The rehabilitation of 256 families displaced by a port project in Nhava Sheva over 40 years ago moved a step closer after the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) on Wednesday informed the Bombay High Court that the Union finance ministry had cleared, with certain observations, a draft cabinet note (DCN) regarding the transfer of 10.16 hectares of port land to the Maharashtra government for their resettlement.
Event Context
The families had surrendered their land in Sheva village in Uran in the 1980s after being assured of permanent rehabilitation. They were shifted to a transit camp at Hanuman Koliwada in Uran, where they have continued to live ever since.
In June 2025, the Maharashtra Small Scale Traditional Fish Workers Union had filed a petition in the Bombay High Court on behalf of the displaced families, arguing that their rehabilitation had been indefinitely delayed despite land for their resettlement having been identified.
Last month, the families had filed an interim application in court, detailing the hardships they faced in the transit camp. They highlighted that drinking water was supplied only once every fortnight, the public toilets were dilapidated, there were no street lights, and there was also no designated place for burials in the community. The high court had observed that the petitioners awaiting rehabilitation were facing “serious human problems” and described it as a “sad state of affairs”.
On Wednesday, justices Manish Pitale and Shreeram Shirsat observed that if JNPA meets the requirements listed in the finance ministry’s July 8 communication, “the DCN would eventually be placed before the Cabinet for consideration, which would then pave the way for transfer of the said land for rehabilitation of the petitioners”.
While giving its ‘no-objection’ in a communication approved by the finance minister, the department of expenditure stated that since the proposal involved transferring a valuable port asset free of cost, it must be ascertained that the land was not required for other JNPA operations and that the proposed transfer would not adversely affect the port.
The affidavit, filed by JNPA manager (estate) SA Salunkhe, also stated that electrical repairs were carried out in the village in August and December 2025. It added that JNPA had never assured the villagers that it would provide free firewood for cremations or for a burial ground.
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While the families have claimed they are living in “sub-human conditions”, the JNPA said in its affidavit that the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) supplies drinking water to Hanuman Koliwada and that the diameter of the water pipeline was increased in 2025 to improve supply. It added that four to five water tankers are also dispatched to the village every day.
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The families have argued that their rehabilitation has remained stalled despite 10.16 hectares having been identified for their resettlement in two villages in Uran. Their application stated that they had even performed a bhoomi poojan at the site in August 2025. “The rehabilitation process stands fully crystallised and is pending only implementation. The same has been stalled due to inter se disputes between respondent authorities,” their application stated.
Lawyers for the petitioners, Rashid Khan and Siddharth Ingle, told the court that the steps taken were inadequate and that basic amenities were still not ensured. The court asked them to file a rejoinder to JNPA’s affidavit by the next hearing on August 12.
