Shiv Sena ministers on Tuesday met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and submitted a memorandum seeking cancellation of notification for land acquisition for Nanar refinery project in Konkan.
Sena ministers Subhash Desai, Diwakar Raote, Ramdas Kadam and Deepak Savant met Fadnavis before the cabinet meeting and handed over memorandum in this regard. It was industries minister Subhash Desai who had announced the withdrawal of the notification during a public rally organised by Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray at Nanar on April 23. Three public sector oil companies have formed a consortium and have inked a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabian company Aramco for setting up a refinery at Nanar. It is a project involving an investment of over Rs 3 lakh crore and is aimed to provide employment to over one lakh people.
Soon after Thackeray's rally in Nanar, Fadnavis had made it clear that notification has not been cancelled. He further said that the authority in this regard is vested with a high power committee headed by the chief secretary. Officials from the Industries Department had clarified that mere orders from the minister cannot scrap the notification without a comprehensive assessment of the situation and opinion from various departments.