Hundreds of villagers continued their protest for the fifth day against the proposed Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemical Limited at Barsu, claiming that the project would destroy the ecology of the Konkan region and upend their way of life.
They demanded that the State government stop soil survey of the proposed site, and staged protests despite massive police presence. On Tuesday, over 700 protesters were detained and 112 were booked under Sections related to rioting, unlawful assembly and disobedience to public order.
While Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said the project would not be implemented without the local people’s consent, and claimed that the on-ground situation was peaceful, the Ratnagiri police detained Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Vinayak Raut after he sat on a road there as a mark of protest, which triggered chaos at the site. Police personnel who were deployed from across the State used tear gas to disperse the protesters.
“People are still struggling with clear vision due to the impact of tear gas,” said Satyajit Chavan of the Konkan Vinashkari Prakalp Virodhi Samiti. He was among 112 protesters arrested and released on bail on Thursday.
Mr. Chavan said they were not against the development of the region, but their protest was against the refinery or any such red-category projects that would harm the surroundings.
Bigger issues
“Once the project commences, mango orchards, cashew and other plantations in the region will be destroyed within months due to chemicals. Our opposition to the project is on bigger issues concerning the environment and the possible damage this project would do to the Konkan coastline,” he said, adding that they would not let the project move forward.
Refuting Mr. Shinde’s claims that Barsu is a green refinery, and there is an assurance that there will not be any pollution, Mr. Chavan said no petrochemical factory was pollution-free. “Once the production begins, no company will comply with environmental rules. So, our stand is clear. We are open to other projects, but not this petrochemical project, which is much more harmful than a distillery,” he said.
The Chief Minister said he spoke to the Ratnagiri Collector and the Superintendent of Police as well as district guardian Minister Uday Samant, and the Collector told him that there was no lathi charge at the site. In a veiled attack on rival Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray, Mr. Shinde said a former Chief Minister himself had suggested the Barsu site to the Centre. “After losing the CM’s post, he is opposing the project. One cannot have such double standards,” he said.
Meanwhile, Uddhav loyalist Sanjay Raut said locals have no trust in the current dispensation. His statement came days after Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar advised the Shinde-Fadnavis government to hold dialogues with villagers,
“The project is being executed to protect the interests of politicians and outsiders who bought land in the village,” he alleged.
He said that Mr. Thackeray had said there was a demand for alternative land from the Centre after the plan to have a refinery at Nanar was stalled.
