Ratnagiri villagers protest, question CM’s changed stand

Amid talks of shifting the Rs 3 lakh-crore mega refinery project from Nanar to Barsu, or any other site in Ratnagiri, the villagers on Wednesday took out a morcha in protest.

The villagers have demanded that the project should not come up in the Konkan region and also demanded an apology from Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and environment minister Aaditya Thackeray, who in 2019 despite sharing power with the BJP, had opposed the project citing opposition from the locals. The villagers asked what prompted the CM and his son to change their stand.

Satyajit Chavan, who is spearheading the agitation against the project, told the Free Press Journal, “The project will adversely impact nature and ecology, especially due to the waste generated. The Shiv Sena had opposed the project at Nanar; how is it now ready for its development on another site.” He criticised the CM for sending a letter to the Centre proposing shifting of the refinery to another site in Ratnagiri. “How can the

CM dash off such a letter without taking the locals into confidence?” he asked.

Mrugesh Ghevade, who is at the forefront opposing the project, said the government’s claim of creation of jobs for locals was an eyewash. He added that locals have no skill sets needed for the refinery project. He reiterated that villagers will welcome green projects in Konkan.

Thackeray, in January this year, wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposing to move the multi-billion dollar refinery project planned in Ratnagiri to another site in the coastal district. The project was earlier proposed to be built at Nanar but got stalled due to opposition from local organisations and the ruling Shiv Sena in the state.