Around 25,000 tribals, fisherfolk and residents staged a massive protest across Palghar district on January 19 against the proposed Vadhvan Port on India’s western coast, about 140 km north of Mumbai. The demonstrators demanded an immediate halt to the project, citing concerns over displacement, damage to marine ecosystems and threats to traditional livelihoods.
The Vadhvan Port, promoted as a major deep-draft port and global transhipment hub, is being developed by Vadhvan Port Project Limited—a joint venture between the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority and the Maharashtra Maritime Board. While the Maharashtra government has pitched the project as a boost to trade, logistics and jobs, protesters allege that environmental risks and Gram Sabha mandates under the PESA Act have been ignored.
The protest coincided with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis praising the port at the World Economic Forum in Davos, intensifying local opposition.