Ajit Pawar calls for sensitive handling of protests against refinery project in Ratnagiri; bats for solution through dialogue

 Ajit Pawar, Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly, on Tuesday demanded that the protests by locals against a refinery project in Ratnagiri district be handled with sensitivity and that the state government stop the survey work till there is a solution through peaceful means.

Doubts should be cleared with the help of experts if the resistance is due to environmental concerns, he said. In a statement, Pawar said “suppressing” the voice of journalists reporting on protests against the refinery project at Barsu in the district must be stopped. His statement comes amid protests by locals in the coastal district against the soil survey work for the multi-billion dollar refinery project.

“Everyone has the right to protest in a democracy. The protesters are being arrested. The government should respect the sentiments of the locals and deal with the issue showing sensitivity,” he said in the statement. Pawar said Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis should find a solution through dialogue. “Till that time, the survey (for the refinery project) should be stopped,” Pawar added.

Speaking to the reporters in Baramati, he also said, “The reasons behind the opposition (to the project) should be considered. If the opposition is due to environmental concerns, doubts should be cleared with the help of experts,” he said. The senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader said when the Enron power project was proposed, a lot of people were opposed to it. The project moved ahead after there was less resistance to it later.

Asked about NCP’s stand in the refinery matter, Pawar said his party is pro-development but at the same time, the project should not adversely impact the environment. He added that if doubts or issues are raised over compensation, that aspect should also be considered. The refinery project was initially planned at Nanar in the district. Following protests by locals earlier, the erstwhile Uddhav Thackeray government had suggested to the Centre an alternative site for the multi-billion dollar refinery project at Barsu.

But here as well, the project is met with opposition. Ratnagiri district will also house the world’s largest nuclear power park in Jaitapur. This project is also being opposed by the locals.