Ratnagiri), Nov 18 (PTI) Grazing his goats on a desolated red laterite stone plateau with dry yellow grass at Barsu village in Ratnagiri, Bhalchandra Shelke stops by the prehistoric petroglyphs which have been declared as protected monuments.
It is at Barsu in Rajapur taluka of coastal Ratnagiri district and neighbouring villages that the Maharashtra government has earmarked land for a multibillion dollar refinery project which is now a centre of protests -- both for the refinery and against it.
The protests also have a political dimension and the refinery project is a poll issue here ahead of the November 20 state assembly elections.
Those who oppose it claim the government wants to forcibly take land for the project in the region, known for its cashew and mango plantations, and the ones who support it cite the lack of development and employment opportunities in the region leading to migration.
Not very far from Barsu is the proposed Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant -- slated to be the biggest atomic power park in the world if all goes according to plan -- which had also witnessed protests. In 2011, a protestor there was hit by a police bullet.
Around 15,000 acres of land in and around Barsu is proposed to be acquired in Goval, Shivne, Dhutpapeshwar (Barsu), Devche Ghotne, Solgaon villages for the refinery project.
While the BJP-led Centre and the then Devendra Fadnavis government in the state had approved the site for refinery in Nanar, his successor Uddhav Thackeray scrapped it and proposed Barsu and neighbouring villages as the new site.
But after the locals objected to it, Thackeray's party, which is now in opposition, has been against it.
Speaking at a rally in Ratnagiri recently, former CM Thackeray said projects like refinery will not be allowed in Konkan once the Maha Vikas Aghadi comes to power in the state.
On the other hand, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde last week said it was the MVA government that gave nod to the project. He said the project will not be implemented with force or without a consensus from locals.
Shelke, who owns five acres of land in Barsu, told PTI, "We are against the refinery project. Shouldn't we know what the project is all about? Why is our land being taken? How much compensation are you (government) going to give us for our land? You should discuss it with the us."
His one son works as a security guard in Mumbai and another son operates an auto-rickshaw in the village area.
Shivne village resident Amol Bole, who owns mango and cashew orchards on seven-eight acres of land, said, "We do not want any chemical project but we are welcome to other projects like IT Park, food processing (units). We need environment-friendly projects here."
Kiran Samant, the Shiv Sena candidate from Rajapur, said two new projects of Rs 25,000 crore are to come up in his constituency but the work could not be expedited due to the model code of conduct in place currently.
"These are green projects and will not cause any harm here," Samant said.
There are other takers for the project as well.
Local resident Vinayak Kadam said, "The refinery will also bring ancillary industries. It will create jobs, good education and health facilities and stop migration of youth to cities, which is rampant in this region."
Kadam, who has mango and cashew orchards outside the notified area of refinery, rued that his sons reside in Kolhapur for education, indicating migration of youth from the region.
Sunil Rane, a doctor by profession and resident of neighbouring Nate village, was once a vehement critic of the Jaitapur power plant but now supports the refinery project.
"Our children have to go to Mumbai and Pune for jobs and education. If there are industries here, the youth will not migrate to cities," he opined.
Rane also pointed out to villages where only senior citizens reside, reflecting the migration of the younger generation to cities.
Notably, the Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (RRPCL), a joint venture company, was formed in 2017 by three national oil companies, namely Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited.
It proposes to implement an integrated refinery and petrochemicals complex on the west coast of Maharashtra.
The Saudi Aramco (SA) and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, the two global oil and gas majors, have also expressed their intent to partner in this project.