Ports, regarded as the key to growth and prosperity, have the potential to endanger the environment Sagarmala is a flagship programme of the Government of India. Its contours were laid out in the April 2016 perspective plan of the Ministry of Shipping. The plan involves a four-pronged approach that includes port modernisation, port connectivity and port-led industrialisation. The plan views ports as a metaphor for development; just like erstwhile governments had done with dams, nuclear power or high-yielding crops. The Sagarmala perspective plan is clearly worked out and looks neat on paper. It identifies Coastal Economic Zones (CEZ) and industrial clusters to be developed around port facilities. They are to mirror the Chinese or European port infrastructure. Rail and road connectivity for inland transportation to states like Odisha and Chhattisgarh are also on the anvil. The ambitious programmes spread across 14 ports is aimed to make domestic manufacturing and EXIM sector more competitive. The fourth aspect of this plan is coastal community development. By “improving and matching the skills” of coastal communities, the plan seeks to ensure “sustainable development”. The plan seeks to improve the lives of coastal communities, implying that there is no contradiction between these objectives of port-led development and that of enhancing the lives of coastal residents. This seemingly win-win agenda is also endorsed by NITI Aayog’s mapping of schemes…