Around 20,000 residents of Palghar district took out a protest march on Monday against the proposed Vadhavan port and a host of other infrastructure projects, citing environmental damage.
In the march, organized under the banner of Vadhavan Bandar Virodhi Sangharsh Samiti (VBVSS), men and women walked nearly 5 km from Palghar railway station to the district collector’s office, demanding that the government scrap plans for Vadhavan port, proposed airport, Murbhe port, Kelve textile park and Fourth Bombay project.
“Unless the government believes that there is no more opposition among local fishermen, adivasis and villagers, the protest march was taken out to give a clear message,” said Vaibhav Vaze, secretary of the VBVSS.
The protest also aimed to counter what organizers described as misleading government claims about local support for the projects.
“In light of the prime minister’s misleading statements that the people of Palghar are welcoming the projects, we decided to hold a morcha to show the strength of our discontent,” said Devendra Tandel, president of Akhil Maharashtra Machhimar Kruti Samiti. “The projects will not harm local fishermen and farmers, but will benefit those outside.”
A memorandum signed by 11 fishermen and local unions and addressed to the prime minister was presented to the collector. The letter lists objections ranging from environmental damages to procedural failures. He recalls a 1998 order by the Dahanu Environment Protection Authority (DEPA) declaring the region an eco-sensitive zone and alleges that the social and environmental impact assessments carried out for the Vadhavan port are riddled with errors.
The letter also points out pending cases before the Supreme Court and states that despite this, the administration is moving forward with preparatory work.