Sharad Pawar to visit Nanar to take stock of situation

Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar will visit Nanar, Ratnagiri on May 10. He assured villagers of Nanar and other 14 other villages of his support if people lose their homes and horticultural gardens to the Union government’s proposed petro-chemical refinery project. The state is acquiring land for the project in 14 villages of Rajapur tehsil and two villages of Sindhudurg’s Devgad tehsil. Sources said Mr Pawar had sought information from the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) managing director about the number of houses and mango gardens that will be affected by the project.

Villagers led by Nanar sarpanch Omkar Prabhu-desai and others met Mr Pawar in Mumbai on Friday. The villagers briefed Mr Pawar, stating that almost 8,000 people in 14 villages would be affected due to this project and they would have to be shifted. “After listening their concerns, I feel that I should go there and meet the people personally. I will visit the place,” said Mr Pawar.