Maha govt decides to exclude petroglyphs area from land acquisition for Barsu refinery

Maharashtra government has decided to exclude area having petroglyphs from land acquisition for the Barsu refinery in coastal Ratnagiri district, the state legislative council was informed.

As per a survey by archaeology directorate, there are 62 petroglyphs in Barsu, cultural affairs minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said in a written reply to a query by leader of opposition Ambadas Danve and other in the House.

Work on conservation of 17 places having petroglyphs in Ratnagiri district is underway, the minister said. Nine petroglyphs in Ratnagiri district have been included in UNESCO heritage list, which includes three from Barsu, he said. The site proposed for the mega oil refinery in Barsu village of Ratnagiri district is at the centre of a row over whether it might damage ancient rock carvings found in the area.

The petroglyphs, images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art, are estimated to be 20,000 years old and classified as protected monuments by the state archaeology department and the Archaeological Survey of India, have been added to the tentative list of UNESCO’s world heritage.

Citing damage to ancient rock carvings, experts have red-flagged refinery project. Known as Ratnagiri oil refinery and petrochemical complex, the project is being developed by Ratnagiri Refinery & Petrochemicals Limited, a joint venture of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd.