Maharastra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday denied state Industries Minister Subhash Desai’s announcement from earlier in the day that his ministry has cancelled the notification on acquiring land for the proposed oil refinery in Nanar in Ratnagiri district.
“Desai has expressed his personal opinion,” the Hindustan Times quoted Fadnavis as saying. “It is not the government’s decision. The government will decide what is in the best interests of the people of Konkan region.”
Desai, a Shiv Sena leader, had made the announcement at a rally in Nanar in the presence of party President Uddhav Thackeray. However, the chief minister later said that only a high-power committee under the Maharashtra chief secretary could decide to cancel the notification, not the industries minister. Their conflicting statements raise questions about the future of the project, which the Sena has been against because of local opposition to it.
Last week, the police arrested 31 Shiv Sena workers, including MLA Rajan Salvi, for protesting against the project. They are accused of violating the provisions of tthe Maharashtra Police Act during a demonstration in Rajapur on April 12.
The proposed refinery will be a joint venture between a consortium of three Indian firms – Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum – and Saudi Aramco. The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding on April 13. The refinery is expected to create one lakh jobs and bring in investment of up to Rs 1 lakh crore, according to the Hindustan Times report.
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