Uddhav's Sena to launch agitation against refinery in Maha

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv  Sena-UBT has decided to launch an agitation against a proposed petroleum refinery at Barsu village in Maharashtra's coastal Ratnagiri district amid protests against the project by local residents.

A decision to this effect was taken on Tuesday at a meeting of Shiv Sena-UBT MPs called by party president Thackeray in Mumbai. The meeting was called to take a stand on the multi-billion project and decide the future course of action.

The decision was taken on a day when the Ratnagiri police arrested 111 people, most of them women, during a protest against the proposed refinery, an official said.

More than 100 women were among the protesters who tried to block a road in Barsu and Solgaon areas of the district, around 400km from Mumbai, by lying on the ground to stop government vehicles from entering the proposed site of the refinery, he said.

Local residents fear the mega project will adversely affect the fragile biodiversity of the coastal Konkan region and also hit their livelihood.

Earlier in the day, the Shiv Sena-UBT came out in support of the local residents. The party's Rajya Sabha MP, Sanjay Raut, demanded an immediate end to “atrocities” against the protesters and asserted his party will not sit quietly on the issue and back the people.

Talking to reporters in Mumbai, Raut alleged the protesters were being pressured by Industries Minister Uday Samant with the help of police.

“This is a government with a perverse mentality. They want a Jallianwala Bagh-like massacre. We are with people and the Shiv Sena-UBT will not sit quiet,” Raut said.

He said Chief Minister Eknath Shinde thinks he is a “messiah” of the poor, but has left on a three-day “leave” in a helicopter, a reference to the CM going to his hometown in Satara district.

Shinde should instead take the helicopter to Barsu and meet the protesters there, said the Rajya Sabha member.

Shiv Sena-UBT leader and former minister Aaditya Thackeray said, “The government should stop atrocities on people and also the soil survey at the site.”

The former state environment minister said the government should start a dialogue with the agitating local residents.

The previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government had put some conditions before giving a nod to the project which included taking the locals into confidence and explaining the details of the venture and its benefits, Thackeray said.