The Maharashtra government has decided to move India’s largest investment project, a ₹3 lakh crore refinery to be built in coordination with Saudi Arabia’s Aramco on the State’s coastline, to Raigad, months after scrapping its original location at Nanar in the face of local protests.
In a written reply in Assembly on Wednesday, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) is developing an Integrated Industrial Cluster (IIC) at 40 villages in Alibaug, Murud, Roha and Shrivardhan tehsils of Raigad over 13,409.52 hectare land.
Replying to the question on whether farmers have registered their opposition to the shifting of the project to Raigad, Mr. Fadnavis said there has been no protest yet. The proposed IIC was notified on January 19, 2019 as Navnagar Area and CIDCO was appointed as the development corporation.
“CIDCO has sought land documents of those 40 villages to initiate the acquisition process of the notified land under the Navnagar Development Corporation from the Raigad Collector’s office. Till now no protest from 40 villages has come up,” the CM said in his reply. He said the industries department too has not pointed out any opposition to the project or indicated any memorandum on the demands raised by farmers.
Meanwhile, Satyajit Chavan, convener, Konkan Vinashkari Prakalp Virodhi Samiti, told The Hindu , “While the western world is realising its mistake and declaring climate emergencies, the Maharashtra government is going back to increase reliance on petrochemical plants. This, if true, is a regressive step.” Mr. Chavan said that their fight against the refinery was not about a particular location but for a environment-friendly cause.
“We will soon decide our strategy once all details are officially announced,” he said.
On April 11, 2018, three Indian public sector oil firms had signed the MoU with Aramco. The Shiv Sena too had joined the locals in opposing the project. In February the BJP, while announcing its alliance with Sena in the run up to the Lok Sabha polls, had promised to shift the project out of Nanar.
