Few days ago on 09-10 May 2026 I occasioned to visit Nanar village near Rajapur in Ratnagiri District of Maharashtra. The village is restless due to proposed Bauxite mining project encompassing 144.95 hacters of village land. Publuc Hearing was scheduled for 20 May 2026.
Mining excavation - as per draft EIA report summery - is to be carried on by Goa based M/s Sociedade De Fomento Industrial Private Limited. Village has its horticulture Mangoes cultivation as major casualty in case of mining company take to this dig and sell routine.
Village is bordered by Vaghotan river that separates Sindadurg and Ratnagiri districts. River has active fishing all along. There one fishing hamlet of around 100 fishers at a point known as Igalwadi. Thanks to prominent Nanar villager - Sanjay Desai - I got introduced to fishers here. Bauxite project will also affect the livelihood of fishers as the run-off from higher altitude will find its way into Vaghotan river
On 09 May 2026 villagers organised press conference to unaniously denounce the Bauxite mining project in their village of Nanar.
Summery of draft EIA circulated notes "Further the validity of Letter of Intent has been extended by Government of Maharashtra till 09-09-2025 vide its letter dated 05-12-2023." This means that Fomentos got no legal right excavate Bauxite from 09 September 2025.
On 10 May 2026 public came to know that Public Hearing got postponed to 20 May 2026 on shaky grounds. On 11 May 2026 it was announced that Public Hearing is called off. It was very good opportunity for me to interact with fishers at Nanar and understand their perceptions about life, livelihoods and resistance.
There is need to hold public study sessions on draft EIA report.
Further visits are required in order to strengthen unity and foster organization of fishers and link up with Maharashtra Small Scale Traditional Fish Workers Union.
NFSF offered support and Solidary to the Nanar villagers.
Sebastian Rodrigues
General Secretary
National Federation of Small-Scale Fishworkers (NFSF)
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