The Emirati-backed oil project sparking conflict on India's Konkan coast

Between the issuance of this resolution, and the initial meetings where locals were first informed of the refinery plans, hundreds of acres of land changed hands, in deals worth more than £1 million, according to an analysis of the RTI documents that was shared with Global Witness. [...] the At the same time, by failing to transparently communicate with and address the concerns of community members and other impacted stakeholders, and by instead seeking to advance the project without ensuring their informed participation in the process, RRPCL is failing to uphold international standards on business practice. [...] The traditional livelihoods under threat The repression experienced by locals and activists in Barsu, however, has failed to diminish the ferocity of their opposition to the refinery project. [...] The Indian government has awarded a Geographical Indicator tag to mangoes that come from a specific stretch of Maharastrian coastline, between the towns of Ratnagiri and Devgad precisely the area set to be transformed by the refinery. [...] htrian part of the Konkan is unique, with highly specialised conditions and so very for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and a botanist studying the region for 25 years, told Global through four monsoon-soaked months every year; this kaleidoscope of plant life dies by October, and the rocky highland lies sun-cracked and bare for the rest of the year.