Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday said the locals at Barsu, where a refinery has been proposed, have no trust in the Shiv Sena-BJP Government in Maharashtra, days after NCP president Sharad Pawar advised the ruling dispensation to hold a dialogue with those villagers opposing the project.
Talking to reporters, Raut also alleged that the refinery project is being executed to protect the interests of politicians and “outsiders” who have bought land at Barsu and demanded that the government make the list public of such people.
“I heard what Sharad Pawar said that there should be a dialogue with the locals and take them into confidence. But what should one do? They don’t have trust in the government,” Raut said. Pawar on Wednesday said the Maharashtra government should hold a dialogue with local villagers who are opposing a refinery project in the coastal Ratnagiri district. If the issue was not resolved even after that, an alternative site should be found, he said.
The NCP chief said his party did not oppose development projects in Konkan, but finding out the opinion of the locals was a must. PTI
