Thousands protest proposed Vadhavan port at Varor village in Palghar, demand project be scrapped

A large protest was held on Friday at Varor village in Maharashtra's Palghar district against the proposed Vadhavan deep-sea port. Thousands of people took part and demanded that the project be cancelled. The agitation was backed by the Congress, the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

The port is to come up near Dahanu. It is planned as a deep-sea facility on an artificial offshore island. Tribal communities, farmers and fishermen are strongly opposing it. They fear the project could damage marine biodiversity, disrupt traditional fishing and endanger the coastal ecosystem. These concerns over the environment and livelihoods have been growing steadily.

Friday's protest was part of a series of demonstrations against the project. Devendra Tandel, a leader of the fishing community, said the villagers had decided to intensify their agitation and would adopt a strong method to oppose the project.

Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal also took part in the protest. He criticised the proposed port and asked what the state would gain from it. Sapkal said the development would endanger the livelihoods of local people, especially farmers and fishermen, and would contribute nothing to their welfare.

Sapkal accused the Centre of putting the interests of a large industrial group ahead of the development of Palghar district. He also alleged that work on the project was continuing despite the concerns of the affected communities.

Reiterating his party's support, Sapkal said the agitation would continue until the project was cancelled. He assured the protesters that the Congress would remain actively involved in the movement and stand with the affected communities. Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi without naming him, Sapkal suggested that a change of leadership at the Centre would be necessary to stop the project. He also said that if the campaign against the Vadhavan port succeeded, it would strengthen other public movements as well.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Ambadas Danve and former MLAs Hitendra Thakur and Kapil Patil were present at the protest. Congress district president Satyam Thakur and state Congress general secretaries Brij Kishore Dutt, Manish Ganore and Dhananjay Shinde also attended, along with representatives of several organisations.

The opposition continues to receive political support. The Vadhavan port project remains a contentious issue in Palghar, as local communities repeat their demand for its cancellation over concerns about the environment and livelihoods.