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Shift refinery to Nagpur, Gadkari requests Petroleum Minister
Union minister Nitin Gadkari has requested his cabinet colleague, petroleum and natural gas minister Hardeep Singh Puri to shift a major project under the latter’s ministry from the proposed site at Ratnagiri to Nagpur.
In his letter dated February 14, Gadkari referred to the Refinery and Petrochemical Complex (RPC), which was being proposed near Ratnagiri. Gadkari pointed out to Singh that the latter had “assured” establishment of the project in Nagpur, if land was made available.
Gadkari wrote that such projects “need huge land”, and the Butibori MIDC which is a “five star MIDC in Maharashtra” has thousands of acres of land available, along with major facilities. “The national highways can be used as Right of Way (ROW) for laying product distribution pipeline,” he stated.
Since the project was originally proposed for Ratnagiri, Gadkari added that a decision on that could take long. “The Maharashtra government has been asked to communicate its stand on availability of land for the planned project at Rajapur (Ratnagiri). It is uncertain how much time it (the decision) would take. In such a situation, I propose to prefer Nagpur for the project,” he said.
The Nagpur MP then highlighted the various infrastructure projects that have come up near the area. He talked about a dry port in Sindi (Wardha). “A dry port can get maximum business from RPC to ensure both-way logistics. The newly-constructed Samruddhi Mahamarg can get fixed income from RPC as ROW for laying crude pipelines, fetching yearly rents to the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation in millions,” said Gadkari.
The minister for road, transport and highways said RPC would require a huge amount of water and that can be sourced from the nearby Gosikhurd dam. Gadkari went on to add that about 0.5 million jobs can be generated directly and indirectly if the project is shifted to Nagpur.
He also put in writing his ‘promise’ of making available the land required for this project by holding “immediate discussions with the state government authorities”. Gadkari added that with the availability of land, the project now needs to be sanctioned for Nagpur. The Union minister said this would spur setting up of manufacturing units that use crude oil products and by-products.
Welcoming Gadkari’s proposal, Vidarbha Economic Development Council (VED) president Shivkumar Rao said, “The benefits of such a project will accrue to both businesses that use these inputs as availability will increase and transport costs will come down. Bitumen is a by-product and is being used in road construction.”
VED vice-president Pradeep Maheshwari has been a strong proponent of the project. “RPC in Vidarbha will save the huge cost presently incurred on bitumen logistics. Million of kilometres of under-construction roads need frequent maintenance, and bitumen is the costliest input,” said Maheswari.
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