Maharashtra: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Udhav Thackeray to visit Barsu village in Ratnagiri, today

A large number of policemen have been deployed in and around Barsu village in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district, the site of a proposed refinery, in view of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray’s visit as well as a rally of supporters of the project on Saturday, a senior official has said.

Orders prohibiting unlawful assembly too have been imposed under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure in the area, he said. Thackeray is going to visit the village in the Rajapur taluka, more than 400 km from Mumbai, and interact with those who are opposing the government’s plans to provide land for a mega-oil refinery in the area.

Supporters of the refinery project have also organised a rally in the vicinity at the same time, the official said. Thackeray hadplanned to hold a rally in Barsu-Solgaon area earlier but was denied permission. Besides district police, additional personnel from Sindhudurg, Sangli, Satara, Kolhapur, Pune and Thane and companies of State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) have been deployed in Rajaput taluka, the official said.

Protests broke out at Barsu after the work for soil testing began at the site last month, with a section of locals opposing the project on the grounds that it will adversely affect the fragile biodiversity of the coastal Konkan region and also hit their livelihood. The project has also pitted the state's Eknath Shinde-BJP government against the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress. MVA leaders have demanded sensitive handling of the situation arising out of the agitation.

Following the detention of several protesters, including women, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former state environment minister Aaditya Thackeray had asked the government to “stop atrocities on people and also the soil survey”. Uday Samant, Maharashtra industries minister, had said that the current site for the mega project was suggested by then-CM Thackeray. He alleged that “misunderstandings” were being deliberately created about the project for political mileage and slammed the “politics of double standards”.

Samant claimed that out of 5,000 acres of land needed for the refinery, people owning 2,900 acres have already given consent letters. Amid the protest, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that the proposed refinery project at Barsu won’t be implemented without the local people’s consent as he appealed for calm in the area.

The project was initially planned at Nanar in Ratnagiri district. Following protests by locals earlier, the erstwhile Uddhav Thackeray government had suggested to the Centre an alternative site at Barsu. According to Aaditya Thackeray, the previous MVA government, which collapsed in June 2022 following a rebellion by Shinde, 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.