Dow Chemical International Private Limited yesterday said that it had temporarily halted all work at its proposed R&D centre at Chakan pending instructions from chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh.

Earlier in the week, chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh had ordered the Dow Chemical to stop work for a month, following intesified agitation against the project by local population, which is also being supported by retired Bombay high Court judge B.G. Kolse Patil.

The saint-poet followers of the Warkari sect and environmental activists have been fiercely opposed to the project, which, they say, would pollute a nearby river and the entire area around the project.

The Warkari Vaishnavite sect is a part of the bhakti movement of Hinduism and the movement is largely prevalent in Maharashtra and Northern Karnataka. Warkari followers travel hundreds of miles on foot to Pandharpur  to worship its presiding deity Vitthal or Vithoba, regarded as Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu.

"Dow India will comply with all the directives stated by the government to find a peaceful resolution to the current situation," the US chemical gaint said in a press statement.

Dow India president and CEO  Dr Ramesh Ramachandran, was quoted in the company statement saying, ''The company has complied with all laws of the state in seeking permission to set up the R&D centre at Chakan. We will continue to work with the government and its agencies to clear any doubts regarding R&D project''

''The R&D centre will employ 500 Indian scientists who will work on projects like purifying water for consumption, energy efficiency and the effective use of green technology which will directly impact the Indian economy,'' he added.

Dow is investing around $100 million  to develop its R&D centre over 100 acres of land.

The company statement said tha its global R&D centre would be a "catalyst for the state of Maharashtra in consolidating its position as the No1 industrialised state in the country, supporting economic development and accelerate industrial growth."

Dow said that with the residents of Shinde, it has helped develop the village infrastructure through initiatives like availability of water, building the village school and asphalting of the village road.

It has also clarified that Dow India was building a R&Development facility Chakan and not a manufacturing unit.

The US chemical multinational is the owner of Union Carbide, whose plant leaked the deadly MIC gas in 1984 that caused the Bhopal gas tragedy.