Shiv Sena (UBT) to launch agitation against refinery in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri

The Uddhav Thackerayled Shiv Sena UBT has decided to launch an agitation against a proposed petroleum refinery at Barsu village in Maharashtras coastal Ratnagiri district amid protests against the project by local residentsA decision to this effect was taken on Tuesday at a meeting of Shiv Sena UBT MPs called by party president Thackeray in Mumbai The meeting was called to take a stand on the multibillion project and decide the future course of actionThe decision was taken on a day when the Ratnagiri police arrested 111 people most of them women during a protest against the proposed refinery an official saidMore 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 saidAlso Read Land at Barsu village in Ratnagiri for refinery project suggested by Uddhav when he was Maha CM ministerLocal residents fear the mega project will adversely affect the fragile biodiversity of the coastal Konkan region and also hit their livelihoodEarlier in the day the Shiv Sena UBT came out in support of the local residents The partys Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut demanded an immediate end to atrocities against the protesters and asserted his party will not sit quietly on the issue and back the peopleTalking to reporters in Mumbai Raut alleged the protesters were being pressured by Industries Minister Uday Samant with the help of policeThis is a government with a perverse mentality They want a Jallianwala Baghlike massacre We are with people and the Shiv Sena UBT will not sit quiet Raut saidHe said Chief Minister Eknath Shinde thinks he is a messiah of the poor but has left on a threeday leave in a helicopter a reference to the CM going to his hometown in Satara districtShinde should instead take the helicopter to Barsu and meet the protesters there said the Rajya Sabha memberShiv Sena UBT leader and former minister Aaditya Thackeray said The government should stop atrocities on people and also the soil survey at the siteThe former state environment minister said the government should start a dialogue with the agitating local residentsThe 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 saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever