Locals demand priority in jobs at Vadhvan Port want higher pay against land acquisition

Palghar, Jul 3 (PTI) Local residents demanded higher compensation for their land to be acquired for the proposed Vadhvan Port in Maharashtra's Palghar district and also sought priority in jobs at the mega project.
They put up these demands during a meeting held at the Sub-Divisional Officer's office at Dahanu in the district on Wednesday, days after protests by a section of villagers against the technical survey at the site, claiming the project would snatch their livelihoods.
The meeting was organised by the district administration to address concerns surrounding the ambitious project and to "provide proper information" to the agitators about it, an official statement said.
Assistant District Collector Vishal Khatri, Deputy District Collector Mahesh Sagar, members from the gram panchayats of Varor, Dhakti Dahanu and Chinchani, along with representatives of the local fishing community, citizens and senior police officials took part in the meeting.
During the discussion, citizens raised several demands, primarily focusing on compensation and local employment.
"The citizens demanded a higher compensation for the land to be acquired for the proposed Vadhvan Port project, and also sought employment to locals," the statement said.
In response, the deputy district collector told them that the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), the nodal agency of the project, has agreed to give priority to locals in employment, and that their demands will be forwarded to the government.
The district administration said it was committed to addressing their concerns.
The development of the Rs 76,200 crore all-weather greenfield deep draft major port at Vadhvan was approved by the Union Cabinet in 2024. The project will be constructed by Vadhvan Port Project Limited, a special purpose vehicle (SPV) formed by the JNPA and the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB), with a shareholding of 74 per cent and 26 per cent, respectively.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)