Amid protests by a section of locals at Barsu in Maharashtra`s Ratnagiri district over a proposed oil refinery, senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar on Saturday said one should ensure that development projects do not cause any damage to the environment.

A section of residents in and around Barsu have been opposing the proposed refinery as they fear that the mega project will adversely affect the fragile biodiversity of the coastal Konkan region and also hit their livelihood. On Friday, as tempers ran high among protesters, the police used tear gas to disperse them.