Govt sets up five-member panel to look into land issues of mega Ratnagiri refinery project

NEW DELHI: The government has set up a five-member high-level committee of experts to look into the issue related to land acquisition plaguing the development of the proposed Rs 3 lakh crore mega refinery and petrochemical project at Ratnagiri in Maharashtra.

The committee will be headed by D M Sukthankar, former Chief Secretary of Maharashtra and former Secretary of the ministry of urban development. Other members of the panel will include Vijay Kelkar, Chairman of National Institute of Public Finance & Policy and former secretary of the finance and petroleum ministries; Professor Abhay Pethe, former Chair Professor and Director, Department of Economics, University of Mumbai; Professor J B Joshi, President, Marathi Vidnyan Parishad and former Director of Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai; and S B Kadrekar, Former vice-chancellor of Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth.

“The committee will recommend a roadmap for the settlement of issues related to acquisition of land in a fair manner and satisfactory resettlement and rehabilitation of the project-affected people, for the proposed integrated Refinery and Petrochemicals project in Konkan region of Maharashtra,” Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), the state-run fuel retailer, said in a statement.

The expert panel set up by the promoters of the project – including IOC, Bharat Petroleum Corp (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL) – will have due regard for the concerns about the project expressed in general and those voiced by the people likely to be affected by the project in particular.

“The Committee will further look into and make appropriate recommendations in regard to all issues connected with the overall environmental protection and ecological conservation of the region. It will independently recommend a proper framework and methodology for the holistic and integrated development of the region, including balanced town and country planning, economic and socio-cultural development, diversification and development of skills among the local population of the region and other relevant matters,” the statement said.

The Committee is expected to submit its recommendations within six months to the promoters of the project and the state government apart from an interim report identifying areas of early action.

Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd, which is proposing to set up the project, is a joint venture between the three public sector undertakings. Two foreign national oil companies -- Saudi Aramco of Saudi Arabia and ADNOC of UAE -- have also shown their interest to be part of this venture.

The project is planned to be the largest such project in the world and is of vital national importance for meeting the country’s energy needs and providing energy security, IOC said.

The refinery and petrochemical complex is to come up in the Nanar village in Ratnagiri and would require acquisition of 15,000 hectares of land. The project is facing stiff opposition from the local population in Ratnagiri and BJP ally Shiv Sena has asserted it would not let the project go ahead.