News Analysis India

Tag: Oil refinery

  • Eknath Shinde says oil refinery project will not proceed without consent of Barsu villagers

    By Express News Service

    MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday assured the proposed oil refinery at Barsu will not proceed further without the villagers’ consent. 

    The Barsu villagers are protesting against the proposed oil refinery saying it will damage the local ecology and pollute the environment. Villagers opposed the land survey which led to a tussle with the police.

    On Saturday, the protestors alleged that police had resorted to lathi charges and tear gas shells to disperse the protestors.

    However, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that as per the collector no lathi charge was used by the police and there is no tension at the site.

    He said that he told the police that no force should be used against the son of the soil. “Without the consent of the locals, the proposed oil refinery projects will not be undertaken at all. The people who are protesting are our people only. They are sons of the soil. We will not force them to give consent. The dialogue with villagers will happen,” Eknath Shinde said.

    Uddhav Thackeray is also likely to visit Barsu and extend support to the protestors who are opposing the oil refinery at Barsu.

    CM Eknath Shinde also criticized former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray who changed the oil refinery site from Nanar to Barsu. Shinde said that Uddhav Thackeray wrote a letter to the Prime Minister requesting the change and now he is opposing it.

    “This is nothing but a double standard by the Opposition. They should not oppose the projects for the sake of opposition. This will hamper the state’s development,” said CM Eknath Shinde.

    Shinde said that they have got 70 per cent consent for this oil refinery.

    “The government will also talk with the people who are opposing the project. These people will be given information about the projects. This project will help not only generate jobs but it will also bring more and more investment. Once they understand the importance of the project, they themselves will come out and extend the help. We will have a meeting with villagers where all pros and cons will be discussed. For the Samruddhi Marg project, initially, there was opposition, but later people supported it,” Shinde added.

    On the other hand, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said that they are not against the development, but the local people should be taken into consideration before initiating the project.

    MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday assured the proposed oil refinery at Barsu will not proceed further without the villagers’ consent. 

    The Barsu villagers are protesting against the proposed oil refinery saying it will damage the local ecology and pollute the environment. Villagers opposed the land survey which led to a tussle with the police.

    On Saturday, the protestors alleged that police had resorted to lathi charges and tear gas shells to disperse the protestors.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    However, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that as per the collector no lathi charge was used by the police and there is no tension at the site.

    He said that he told the police that no force should be used against the son of the soil. “Without the consent of the locals, the proposed oil refinery projects will not be undertaken at all. The people who are protesting are our people only. They are sons of the soil. We will not force them to give consent. The dialogue with villagers will happen,” Eknath Shinde said.

    Uddhav Thackeray is also likely to visit Barsu and extend support to the protestors who are opposing the oil refinery at Barsu.

    CM Eknath Shinde also criticized former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray who changed the oil refinery site from Nanar to Barsu. Shinde said that Uddhav Thackeray wrote a letter to the Prime Minister requesting the change and now he is opposing it.

    “This is nothing but a double standard by the Opposition. They should not oppose the projects for the sake of opposition. This will hamper the state’s development,” said CM Eknath Shinde.

    Shinde said that they have got 70 per cent consent for this oil refinery.

    “The government will also talk with the people who are opposing the project. These people will be given information about the projects. This project will help not only generate jobs but it will also bring more and more investment. Once they understand the importance of the project, they themselves will come out and extend the help. We will have a meeting with villagers where all pros and cons will be discussed. For the Samruddhi Marg project, initially, there was opposition, but later people supported it,” Shinde added.

    On the other hand, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said that they are not against the development, but the local people should be taken into consideration before initiating the project.

  • Maha: 111 people arrested during protest against refinery; Sena (UBT) says stop ‘atrocities’ 

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Police on Tuesday arrested 111 people, most of them women, during a protest against a proposed oil refinery at Barsu village in Maharashtra’s coastal Ratnagiri district, 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.

    The protesters were booked under IPC sections related to unlawful assembly, rioting, disobedience to an order lawfully promulgated by a public servant, wrongful restraint and relevant provisions of the Maharashtra Police Act, the official said, adding they will be produced before a court at Rajapur town in Ratnagiri district on Wednesday.

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

    The Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) came out in their support and demanded an immediate end to “atrocities” against protesters.

    A government team was scheduled to conduct a survey at the site in Barsu and Solgaon areas of Rajapur, on Monday, but locals started staging protests, the official said.

    During the protest, women lay on the ground to prevent vehicles of the district administration and police from entering the areas, he said.

    Considering the law and order situation, hundreds of police personnel were deployed at the project site, the official said.

    Ratnagiri Superintendent of Police Dhananjay Kulkarni and other senior police officials were at the spot to avoid any untoward incident, he said.

    Opposition leader Ajit Pawar of the NCP earlier in the day demanded that protests by locals against the refinery project be handled sensitively and urged that the state government stop the survey work till a peaceful solution was found.

    Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut demanded an immediate end to “atrocities” against locals and asserted his party will not sit quietly on the issue and back the people.

    Talking to reporters, Raut alleged the protesters were being pressurised 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.”

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

    The previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) 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.

    MUMBAI: Police on Tuesday arrested 111 people, most of them women, during a protest against a proposed oil refinery at Barsu village in Maharashtra’s coastal Ratnagiri district, 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.

    The protesters were booked under IPC sections related to unlawful assembly, rioting, disobedience to an order lawfully promulgated by a public servant, wrongful restraint and relevant provisions of the Maharashtra Police Act, the official said, adding they will be produced before a court at Rajapur town in Ratnagiri district on Wednesday.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

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

    The Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) came out in their support and demanded an immediate end to “atrocities” against protesters.

    A government team was scheduled to conduct a survey at the site in Barsu and Solgaon areas of Rajapur, on Monday, but locals started staging protests, the official said.

    During the protest, women lay on the ground to prevent vehicles of the district administration and police from entering the areas, he said.

    Considering the law and order situation, hundreds of police personnel were deployed at the project site, the official said.

    Ratnagiri Superintendent of Police Dhananjay Kulkarni and other senior police officials were at the spot to avoid any untoward incident, he said.

    Opposition leader Ajit Pawar of the NCP earlier in the day demanded that protests by locals against the refinery project be handled sensitively and urged that the state government stop the survey work till a peaceful solution was found.

    Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut demanded an immediate end to “atrocities” against locals and asserted his party will not sit quietly on the issue and back the people.

    Talking to reporters, Raut alleged the protesters were being pressurised 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.”

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

    The previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) 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.