shiv sena: Shiv Sena caught in a predicament over refinery project

The Maharashtra government has suggested the Center to set up the Nanar Refinery Project at Barsu village of Rajapur in Ratnagiri district.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had earlier this year written to the PM informing that the state wanted the project to be located in Barsu village and that the state was ready to facilitate the project.

However, the Shiv Sena is now stuck in a situation of its own construction as hundreds of villagers from Barsu on Wednesday marched to the Rajapur tehsil office and asked the government not to go ahead with the project in Barsu as it would harm the environment.

The Shiv Sena, when it was in power with the BJP in 2014, stalled the project in Nanar after protests by villagers.

Responding to the protest, Minister Aaditya Thackeray said, “The project will be implemented only after taking people into confidence.”

Originally published at Pen 18