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Red stone mining or chire khan is the only industrial activity in Ratnagiri villages

Coastal Konkan with an abundance of natural resources has earned the tag of a backward region because of lack of planned industrial development and growth.

A chire khan at village Sagwe, where villagers unearth red rock stone through mining. (Express Photo by Shubhangi Khapre)

At Sagwe village, workers engage in laterite stone mining, digging deep into the hard rocky land. In the neighbouring village, along a higher slope, a machine precariously balances itself in the newly-formed 10-feet-deep rocky structure. The neatly-cut heavy red rock stones are unearthed in thousands. A maze of rust coloured dust envelops the entire belt, including wild trees and shrubs in the distance. Across several villages in Ratnagiri district, “chire khan” or laterite stone mining is a popular and only industrial activity. Coastal Konkan with an abundance of natural resources has earned the tag of a backward region because of lack of planned industrial development and growth. The tourism policy, which has been planned for the region has set a target to bring in investments worth Rs 30,000 crore by 2025. But across the 17 villages, where land will be acquired for the West Coast Oil Refinery, there are no signs of industrial growth or tourism projects.

Yet, these villages – Sagwe, Taral, Nanar, Karsinghewadi, Vadapalle, Villye, Dattawadi, Padekarwadi, Katradevi, Karvine, Chowke, Upade, Padwe, Sakhar, Gothiware, Girye and Rameshwar – are awaiting investments in infrastructure. A total of 14,675 acre is to be acquired for the oil refinery. Former freedom fighter and historian professer Prabhakar Marathe who has chronicled the cultural and historical legacy of Rajapur in Ratnagiri district said: “Konkan has abundant resources and a rich heritage, which can be channelised for development and growth. The anti-development attitude of the people will not serve them. We have to give nod to mega projects, which would help the next generation.” His son Dhananjay, who is working on petro glyphs (drawings carved into rock) in the districts of Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg, said: “Chire khan is permissible up to 20 feet. The landscape is not conducive for agriculture. It can support industrial projects. We have to break the myth that development and environment cannot co-exist. On the contrary, we have to always ensure that there is perfect harmony to provide adequate space for evolution and growth for both plants and human beings.”

A house built using laterite hard red rock stone, which is taken out from chire khan (Express Photo by Shubhangi Khapre)

Along with green oil refinery, preservation of heritage is not an impossible task, he added. The public sector units (PSUs) – Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum – in a report submitted to the Union government, has mentioned: “Kumbavade and Dongar are ecologically sensitive villages listed in the Kasturirangan report. The oil refinery project will lead to significant positive development in economic front of the local areas. The entire plant area will be paved and all contaminated discharge will be routed to effluent treatment. Solid waste generated will be disposed through authorised agency. The treatment effluent will be totally recycled. The flare system has been envisaged in this project.”

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A farmer from Taral village, Satish Mahajan, believes that industrial growth should be with people’s consent and cooperation. In the absence of industries, the mainstay in the region remains fishing and horticulture. “The per capita district domestic product (PCDDP) of Ratnagiri is Rs 27,685 and for Sindhudurg, it is Rs 31,563. It comes under the categories high and very high, respectively. The average of the state (36 districts) Rs 35,033, “ says the Economic Survey.

The state Economic Survey, 2017-18, states: “The Human Development Index of Ratnagiri is 0.732 and for Sindhudurg it is 0.753, also under high and very high categories, respectively. The state’s average HDI is 0.759.” Konkan with the longest coast line in the country, 720 km, has 173 fish landing centres and the area suitable for marine fishing is 1.12 lakh square kms. There are 16,218 marine fishing boats in operation, of which 3,178 are mechanised. In additional to ir, the area suitable for inland and brackish water fishing in the state is 4.19 lakh hectares and 0.10 lakh hectares, respectively. In 2017 (March to December), the total fish production in the state was 4.65 metric tonnes (MT), valued at Rs 5,640 crore.

Festive offer

In 2016-17, the production was was 6.63 (MT), valued at Rs 7,812 crore. The region is known for Alphonso mangoes, which are grown is almost every household. But the food processing sector has remained unexplored. According to Ajit Ghogte, the former BJP MLA who fought to get a patent for Devgad and Ratnagiri Alphonso mangoes, said: “We have to adopt a practical approach to industrialisation. We have fought against a thermal power plant. If a green field oil refinery provides adequate sagefuards and boosts infrastructure for village welfare, like colleges and food industries, I will support it.” A recent Agriculture Ministry report says the state leads in terms mango export in the country. In 2017 (March to October) mangoes exported from Maharashtra was 33,347 (MT) and worth Rs 281 crore .

Across the country, the figure was Rs 46,147 (MT), worth Rs 344 crore. In 2016-17, mangoes exported from Maharashtra stood at 37,180 (MT), worth Rs 368 crore. The total mango export from the country was 53,177 (MT), worth Rs 446 crore.

First uploaded on: 03-05-2018 at 04:00 IST
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