Thousands rally at Varor in Palghar demanding Vadhavan port project be scrapped

Opposition by local residents to the proposed Vadhavan deep-sea port in Palghar district is growing. On Friday, thousands of people gathered at Varor village and held a vigorous protest against the project, demanding that the Vadhavan port project be cancelled.

The Congress, the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) backed the protest.

The Vadhavan port is proposed near Dahanu and is to be built on an artificial island in the sea. Local tribal people, farmers and fishermen fear that it will endanger marine biodiversity, affect traditional fishing and damage the coastal environment. For this reason, the project has been facing protests for some time.

Devendra Tandel, a leader of the fishing community, said villagers would now intensify the agitation and take an aggressive stand against the project.

Harshwardhan Sapkal, president of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee, who joined the protest, criticised the Union government over the Vadhavan port. He asked what benefit the state would get from the project. Sapkal claimed that the port's development would put the interests of local farmers and fishermen at risk and endanger their livelihoods.

Sapkal alleged that the Union government was serving the interests of a large industrial group more than the development of Palghar district. According to him, the project was being pushed ahead by ignoring the objections of local residents.

Sapkal also said the agitation would continue until the Vadhavan port project was cancelled. He assured that the Congress would take an active part in the agitation and stand firmly with the affected residents.

Making an indirect reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sapkal hinted that the project could not be stopped without a change in the Centre's leadership. He also said that if the agitation against the Vadhavan port succeeded, it would give strength to other people's movements in future.

Those present at the protest included Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) legislator Ambadas Danve, former legislators Hitendra Thakur and Kapil Patil, Congress district president Satyam Thakur, state Congress general secretaries Brijkishore Dutt, Manish Ganore and Dhananjay Shinde, and representatives of several organisations.

Raising the issues of protecting the environment, traditional fishing and local livelihoods, villagers have stood by their demand that the project be cancelled. Political and social opposition to the issue appears to be growing in Palghar, and attention now turns to the direction the agitation will take in the coming days.