India and the US achieving a breakthrough in operationalisation of the stalled nuclear deal, it is believed, will remove impediments for several nuclear projects that are stalled in the country. However, in spite of the deal, the 9,900 mega watt Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project still faces a significant hurdle in the form of Shiv Sena, which is part of the BJP-led government both at the Centre and in the state. Sena leaders have said the party will carry on with its opposition to the project as a large number of local residents are against the power station coming up in their backyard. “The Sena has publicly said during its election rallies that it is not in favour of the project. We are only supporting the views of the majority of the residents of the area who feel the project is harmful. Until the majority of the locals relent and agree to the project, the Sena will oppose it,” said a senior Sena leader from Konkan. To come up at Madban village in Ratnagiri district, it is going to be the largest nuclear power generating project in India. Those opposing the project, like the Konkan Bachao Samiti and the Janhit Seva Samiti, are citing environmental effects it will have on the area and have also questioned the safety aspect as it is located in a seismically sensitive area. With a large number of locals dependent on fishing, there is also a fear that effluents from the plant could harm their business. The Shiv Sena has been a dominant political force in Konkan region. Weighing the large-scale hostility to the project, the party had decided to join hands with those opposing it. During the campaigning for the assembly elections, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray had repeatedly said the entire project would be scrapped if Sena came to power. The Shiv Sena has been saying the state should not rely on nuclear power and instead look at setting up projects based on other fuels. “Capacity should be augmented by setting up plants that use less harmful ways of generating power,” said Industries Minister Subhash Desai of the Sena. The French Nuclear Engineering Company Areva will be carrying out the USD 9.3 billion project for which it has signed an agreement with the Nuclear Power Corporation of India. There are a total of 2,335 families that will lose land and they have been promised a compensation of Rs 22.5 lakh per hectare. During the Congress-NCP government, the compensation package was handed out to a large number of the project-affected persons.