Nanar Villagers Halt Bauxite Project After Defeating Refinery Project

Mumbai: After successfully thwarting attempts to set up a Saudi-backed oil refinery project due to its potential environmental impact, the locals of Nanar in coastal Ratnagiri district are now up in arms against the proposed bauxite mining project in their village. Faced with fierce opposition from local farmers and mango growers, the Maharashtra Government on Monday decided to postpone the scheduled public hearing for the proposed bauxite mining project in Nanar and its surrounding areas.

The decision was taken during a meeting held on Monday at the District Collector’s office, presided over by minister Uday Samant from the Shiv Sena.

Samant assured that the State Government would adopt the same stance undertaken by the local citizens regarding the Nanar Bauxite project. As the majority of landholders have formally registered their written objections with the District Collector, the administration has decided to postpone the public hearing, he added.

“Any decision (regarding the Nanar Bauxite project) should be taken only after taking local people into confidence and with their explicit consent. The Central Government should not impose such a project when all farmers and mango orchard owners are opposed to it,” Samant said.

The minister further stated that, after the monsoon season, renewed discussions will be held among local people, the Chief Minister and the concerned agencies.

The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) had issued a notice for a public hearing on Monday on environmental issues regarding the proposed Nanar Bauxite Block, spread over 362 acres of land. The Maharashtra government had allocated the project to Goa-based Sociedade De Fomento Industrial Pvt Ltd following an auction in May 2019. However, the project has been in cold storage due to the opposition from the local people.

Earlier, the locals had forced the state government to scrap the refinery project in Nanar, which was to be the site for the world’s biggest integrated oil refinery and petrochemicals complex with a capacity to process 60 million tonnes. Nearly 14 villages and 850 families were likely to be affected due to the project. However, thousands of farmers refused to surrender land, fearing it could damage a region famed for its Alphonso mangoes, vast cashew plantations and fishing hamlets that boast bountiful catches of seafood. After their protests, land acquisition was stopped for the refinery at the proposed site at Nanar and the project was scrapped.