Mumbai: A day after announcing that the notification for the proposed oil refinery will be cancelled by the State’s industries department led by him, Shiv Sena leader Subhash Desai, along with other Sena ministers, on Tuesday submitted a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis demanding denotification of the land labelled as industrial zone.
“A minister is authorised to cancel the notification. I have given a letter to this effect to the department’s secretary who in turn will prepare a proposal regarding cancellation of the land acquisition notification,” said Mr. Desai after the cabinet meeting today. Earlier, all five Sena cabinet ministers met Mr. Fadnavis to hand over the letter.
Mr. Fadnavis said, “I have told them that a decision on this will be taken after considering the interests of the State and Konkan region as well as after taking the residents there into confidence.” The CM had on Monday claimed that Mr. Desai’s statement about cancelling the notification was “his personal opinion” and he had no right to do so. Mr. Fadnavis had categorically said that the high power committee on this issue has the power to take the final decision.
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Opposition taunts
The Opposition, however, did not miss an opportunity to target the ruling alliance over the continuing flip-flop on the refinery. “A high power committee is always subordinate to the minister as it falls under the cabinet minister of the concerned department. The committee cannot overrule the minister, the ultimate right stands with the minister,” said Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan. Mr. Chavan taunted the Sena saying if it had any ‘self-respect’ left after the CM’s reply, it would have quit the government.
A Congress delegation will be meeting party president Rahul Gandhi on April 28 to inform him about the ongoing controversy over the proposed Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd. at Nanar.
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MLA’s offer
Meanwhile, disgruntled BJP MLA from Vidarbha Ashish Deshmukh said today that the refinery could be shifted to his constituency Katol in Vidarbha. “Our country has several in-land oil refineries and if set up in Vidarbha, can be of great help to the development of the region in terms of investment, employment,” he said.