BARSU(RATNAGIRI) : The agitation against land acquisition for the proposed refinery in Barsu intensified yet again on Friday afternoon after women agitators tried to barge into the area where soil survey by the developers was underway amid high police security. Around 10 women activists and four police personnel reported to have been injured as they clashed a few meters ahead of the survey area. Police had to resort to minor lathicharge and blew teargas shells to protect themselves from the aggressive mob.
Nitin Jathar of the Barsu Solgaon Refinery Virodhi Samiti said the morcha of agitators virtually gheraoed the survey site following which police resorted to lathicharge and teargas shelling. Sena UBT MP Vinayak Raut who was part of the morcha was detained along with hundreds of activists. "Upon industry minister Uday Samant's appeal to discuss the demands instead of taking to agitation, we have decided to join him by putting our agitation on hold for the next three days. Our condition is that the government should take away the police force and men & machinery deployed at the site," he said.
A force of nearly 1800 police staff with majority women has been deployed at the site by the Ratnagiri police. State has proposed a Rs 3 lakh crore oil refinery by all the indian oil majors with their foreign partners that promises 1 lakh job opportunities. The soil survey for the same is underway at a barren plateau in the backyards of Barsu village. Of the 89 soil testing locations, around 16 have been completed and according to sources of the 8000 acres of land, consent on 3500 acres have been received by the local authorities. Sources said a few poor farmers, who sold their lands at throwaway prices a decade ago, and now want a share of compensation amid risen land prices, are mainly agitating with the support of outsiders.
