Sena to oppose Nanar refinery, bullet train in monsoon session

Legislators of the Shiv Sena, a constituent of the BJP-led Maharashtra government, will oppose the Nanar refinery and bullet train projects in the monsoon session of the state legislature which began here today.

Both Nanar refinery and bullet train are known as the dream projects of the BJP.

Addressing a press conference here, Shiv Sena MLC Neelam Gorhe reiterated her party's stand against the BJP's ambitious bullet train project and said the government should instead focus on improving facilities in regular trains.

The high-speed train project between Ahmedabad and Mumbai is expected to be completed by 2022. The train is expected to cut the journey time from the current six hours to less than three hours.

"Projects like bullet train, Nanar refinery (in coastal Konkan region), Baroda-Ahmedbad highway should be scrapped," Gorhe told reporters.

She also said that number of suicides by farmers is going up due to farm distress.

Gorhe alleged that most of the farmers whose crops got damaged in the pink bollworm infestation have not received the compensation promised by the state government.

The MLC said farmers are facing hardships in securing crop loan.

Another MLC Sunil Prabhu demanded action against a refinery located in suburban Mahul near Trombay in Mumbai for causing pollution.

"People are dying due to this refinery. We want action," he said, adding that the people affected by the Mahul refinery be rehabilitated in parts of Mumbai.

Prabhu alleged that the agency responsible for the development of crowded Mumbai airport is more concerned with the development of five-star hotels and seems more interested in the Slum Rehabilitation Authority's (SRA's) projects.

He reiterated the Sena's opposition to the proposed Nanar Refinery project in Ratnagiri district.

The mega refinery will be capable of processing 60 million metric tonnes of crude oil per annum and will also provide feedstock for the integrated petrochemicals complex, which will have the capacity of producing 18 million tonnes per annum of petrochemical products.