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Mumbai: The sudden pitch for the controversial mega greenfield oil refinery project at Nanar in Ratnagiri district of Konkan region by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has raised the hackles of Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg Lok Sabha MP Vinayak Raut. The Sena MP has taken strong objection to the MNS chief’s letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray urging the latter to take steps to ensure that the mega oil refinery project does not go out of the state to any other state in the country.
The Sena MP questioned the MNS chief for his sudden turn around after having vehemently opposing the Nanar oil refinery project. Raut wanted to know the reason behind this sudden change of decision. He contended that lands at Nanar have been acquired by 221 Gujarati land mafias. The Sena MP further wanted to whether the MNS chief was making the demand with a view to help the Gujarati land mafias or has he really made this demand in the interest of Konkan region.
On Sunday, MNS chief wrote similar letters to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis besides Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
The MNS chief while making a strong pitch for the project stated that today the youth in Konkan is in despair. The local youth have to travel all the way to Mumbai or Pune for jobs. The youths are yet to see a ray of hope in the form of a project that will change their lives. To make matters worse the Covid-19 pandemic has again altered the job scenario with many youths losing their existing jobs.
Alluding to the concerns expressed by the locals about getting jobs in the project, its impact on the local environment and places of religious importance. Raj Thackeray further stressed upon the need to ensure that the locals get first preference in jobs in the project.
The MNS chief remarked that it was distressing to find that the state government was making desperate bid to bring back a mega international project that went to set shop in Bengaluru. He said that there is cut-throat competition amongst states now to snatch mega infrastructure projects from the jaws of other states.
Acknowledging the opposition to the project by some locals, Raj Thackeray added that in todays changed circumstances the state can ill afford to lose such a big-ticket mega project. He added that if that happens it will not take time to wipe clean that adage of ‘Maharashtra the leading industrialised state’.
Commenting upon the environmental concerns expressed by some, Raj Thackeray stated that he could very well understand their concerns. But added that the government needs to take the views of the experts before forming any opinion or taking any decision. He added that during the agitation against the Jaitapur nuclear power plant project he sought clarification from noted nuclear scientist Dr Anil Kakodkar before forming an opinion.
The MNS chief urged Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to be accommodative rather than being aggressive in its handling of the issue. Raj Thackeray added that development and tourism projects can be devised while preserving the local natural environment. In the end he argued that it is imperative to take a decision on the project whereby the state is set on the path of progress.
It may be recalled that during the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena alliance government former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had vigorously pitched for the project. However, the Sena had vehemently opposed the project on grounds that it damaged the local environment and halted the land acquisition process. Recently, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray while interacting with the locals online had assured development while swearing in the name of the local deity Bharadidevi.
