The ruling Shiv Sena is likely to oppose the new major port proposed by the Central government at Vadhvan in Dahanu on the outskirts of Mumbai.

With local residents mainly from the fishing community coming out in large numbers in protest after the Union Cabinet approved the construction of the port earlier this week, the Uddhav Thackeray government is seen weighing its options.

“The construction of a port at Vadhvan will destroy the livelihoods of the fishing community in a 300-km area. Where will the fishing community be rehabilitated? There is no space for them in the coastal areas of Maharashtra,” senior Shiv Sena leader from Thane Anant Tare said. Tare, who is also the president of the Maharashtra Koli Samaj Sangh, a body representing the fishing community in the state, said residents in and around the area will meet Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on the issue.

The Vadhvan taluka, where the port is to be located, has seen major protests for the past 20 years after the project was first suggested. Residents of 10 villages even boycotted the Maharashtra Assembly elections after the former Devendra Fadnavis government expressed its intention of pursuing the project.

Shiv Sena leaders say Palghar is a stronghold of the party and the fishing community here among its core support groups. “The Vadhvan port was first mooted by the Shiv Sena-BJP government in 1998. But it did not take off following objections from the local people,” says Tare.