Why In News?

• Hundreds of villagers continued their protest against the proposed Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemical Limited at Barsu.

Why is there a Protest?

=> Locals vehemently opposed the project, saying the oil refinery would be detrimental for the environment of Konkan region.

=> Protesters claim that once the project commences, mango orchards, cashew and other plantations in the region will be destroyed within months due to chemicals.

=> They demanded that the State government stop soil survey of the proposed site.

About Ratnagiri Oil Refinery Project:

=> The Ratnagiri Oil Refinery Project was mooted by the Centre and the Maharashtra government in 2014.

=> The project was originally supposed to come up on around 16,000 acres of land, spread across 17 villages in the adjoining districts of Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg in the Konkan region.

=> The main oil refinery was to be set up in Nanar village, which falls in the Ratnagiri district.

=> It was aimed at bringing development to the backward Konkan region and would generate employment for at least one lakh local residents and also create new job generating avenues by setting up ancillary units.

=> Upon completion, the project is expected to bring some stability to the oil industry in the region enabling Saudi Aramco and ADNOC to provide a steady supply of fuel to India.

Konkan Region:

• The Konkan extends throughout the western coasts of Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka.
• It is bounded by the Western Ghats mountain range (also known as Sahyadri) in the east, the Arabian Sea in the west, the Daman Ganga River in the north and the River Aghanashini in the south.
• The Gangavalli flows in the district of Uttara Kannada in present-day Karnataka.
• Its northern bank constitutes the southernmost portion of Konkan.