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Mumbai : Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday held a telephonic conversation with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar on the issue of villagers protesting against the Barsu Refinery in the coastal district of Ratnagiri in Maharashtra. According to information provided by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde had a telephonic conversation with NCP chief Sharad Pawar on the issue of protest against Barsu Refinery in Ratnagiri.
Earlier, NCP President Sharad Pawar said on Wednesday that the Maharashtra government should talk to the villagers opposing the refinery project in the coastal Ratnagiri district. He said that if the issue is not resolved even after this, then an alternative place should be found. Sharad Pawar spoke to reporters after state Industries Minister Uday Samant met him to discuss the issue.
Shiv Sena-Congress in support of protesting villagers
Residents of Barsu village in Rajapur tehsil of Ratnagiri district, about 400 km from Mumbai, are opposing the project and are being supported by the Shiv Sena (UBT), an ally of the NCP in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, and the Congress. Sharad Pawar said that his party NCP did not oppose the development projects in Konkan, but it is very important to know the views of the local people.
Why are the villagers angry
The former Union minister said that the government needs to find out why the local people are angry. Talking to them is the only solution. If the matter is not resolved through talks, an alternate venue should be found. The state government has argued that Uddhav Thackeray, when he was the chief minister, had suggested Barsu as an alternative instead of the original site Nanar. On this, Pawar said that he is not aware of this.
Industries Minister Uday Samant met Pawar
Sharad Pawar said that Industry Minister Uday Samant, who met me, assured that talks would take place on Thursday. On Tuesday, only soil testing was being done at the project site. He said that NCP leaders will visit the spot and talk to the local people. On the other hand, Ratnagiri District Guardian Minister Samant told reporters that the women protesters detained at the project site have been released. He said that the government will talk to the villagers.
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