Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said the proposed oil refinery in Barsu in coastal Ratnagiri district should be moved to Gujarat and good investment projects from the neighbouring state be brought to Maharashtra. Interacting with villagers at Barsu, Thackeray dared the government to face the protesters and support the project, even as BJP leaders took out a rally in the area backing it.

“The bulk drugs park, Vedanta-Foxconn and Tata-Airbus are gone [to Gujarat]. My opinion is to take this [refinery] project to Gujarat and bring our good projects to Maharashtra. Whatever is non-controversial is for Gujarat and what is controversial is imposed on Konkan and Maharashtra,” Thackeray said.

People seen protesting against the Barsu-Solgaon refinery project during Uddhav Thackeray’s visit to Barsu in Ratnagiri district on Saturday. Pics/PTI

He added that he would not let any development project come up that hurts the interests of people, and that he had the honesty to face the protesters. A section of locals is opposing the Barsu refinery on the grounds that it will adversely affect the fragile biodiversity of the coastal Konkan region and also hit their livelihood.

Thackeray said when he was the CM, similar protests had taken place while building the Samruddhi highway. “But we struck a dialogue with protesters. We worked out a way without hampering development,” he said. Earlier, Thackeray had planned to hold a rally in the Barsu-Solgaon area earlier, but was denied permission.

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Protests broke out at Barsu after the work for soil testing began at the site last month. It also pitted the state’s Eknath Shinde-BJP government against the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress. MVA leaders have demanded sensitive handling of the situation arising out of the agitation.

Following the detention of several protesters, including women, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former state environment minister Aaditya Thackeray had asked the government to “stop atrocities on people and also the soil survey”.

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