IOC told to rehabilitate project-displaced

The families displaced by the Indian Oil Corporation's (IOC) refinery project at Paradeep in Jagatsinghpur district and the local administration have voiced their discontent on non-implementation of rehabilitation measures by the company.

Ashok Kumar Meena, revenue divisional commissioner, who is also the chairman of the Rehabilitation and Peripheral Development Advisory Committee (RPDAC), directed IOC to rehabilitate the displaced families on priority basis and also work towards peripheral development.

The directive was given by Meena at a meeting of RPDAC conducted by the district administration at Paradeep.

IOC has acquired 3,300 hectares of private land for its oil refinery project and Rs 49 crore was paid as compensation to the affected families in 17 villages under the Kujang tehsil.

About 1800 families are affected by IOC's refinery project and of them 143 are declared as displaced families.

IOC had also acquired 12.1 acres of land for providing two room houses at Dhinkia village to the displaced people, but till date not a single family has been given house by the company, the locals alleged. Besides, the locals said, IOC had trained hundreds of local youths in different skills, but a majority of them are yet to be employed in the oil refinery project. Apart from IOC refinery project, the RPDAC meeting also reviewed the status of land acquisition and peripheral development measures of the proposed expansion work of Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (Iffco). The land losers of Kaudia, one of the affected villages of Iffco's expansion project, demanded Rs 20-25 lakh per acre instead of Rs 4 lakh per acre fixed by the special land acquisition officer. The Iffco authorities agreed to give the land compensation as per the norms and conditions. An Iffco official said, Rs 4 crore has been spent towards peripheral development within two years and the company has decided to set up a Farmers Training Institute at Paradeep.