PCPIR land acquisition on fast track

Idco files requisition for 90%of land needed in Phase-I

The land acquisition process for PCPIR (Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemicals Investment Region) hub proposed to be set up at Paradip is on the fast track with the state owned Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation of Orissa (Idco), the nodal agency for the project, having filed requisition for 90 per cent of the total land requirement in Phase-I.

The Phase-I of the PCPIR project needs 48,268 acres (195.34 sq km) in all out of which 22,232 acres (89.97 sq km) would be devoted to processing facilities while the balance 26035 acres ( 105.37 sq km) is the area set aside for non-processing facilities. Phase-I of the project is scheduled to be taken up during 2010-2020.

The entire project which is set to be completed by 2030, needs 70,214 acres (284.15 sq km) of land which includes 30,397 acres (123.01 sq km) of processing area and 39.817 acres (161.14 sq km) of non-processing area.

Priyabrata Pattnaik, chairman and managing director of Idco said, “Idco has filed requisition for acquisition of 90 per cent of land needed for the first phase of the PCPIR project. Out of the processing area of 123.01 sq km, 41.95 sq km is under operational units and almost 42.68 sq km (10,546.22 acres) has been acquired or is under acquisition by Idco, balance area of 38.38 sq km needs to be acquired.”

He was speaking at an awareness session on 'Regulatory Framework of Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) for Petroleum and Natural Gas Sector', organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

Of the non-processing area of 161.14 sq km, 20.92 sq km (5169.33 acres) are village settlements which has been integrated in the non-processing area and existing township of 19.08 sq km ( 4714.66 acres) included in the non – processing area.

Idco has also filed for land acquisition of 7,342 acres (30 sq km) for common infrastructure, utilities and accommodating downstream chemical converters and industries.

Meanwhile, as a part of developing rail connectivity within the PCPIR hub, it has been decided to set up rail freight stations (RFS) along with additional rail sidings at a total cost of Rs 80 crore in Phase-I and Rs 120 crore in Phase-II.

In Phase I, the RFS will be along Cuttack-Paradeep line which further connects to Paradeep port and Chennai-Howrah trunk whereas in Phase II, the RFS will be along Paradeep-Haridaspur line joining Chennai-Howrah trunk. The PCPIR project at Paradip is awaiting the in-principle approval of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA). After Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and West Bengal, Orissa would be the fourth state to receive the approval for this prestigious project.

Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) would be the anchor tenant of the project and it would set up a 15 million tonne per annum grassroot refinery cum petrochemical complex five km south of Paradip at a cost of Rs 29,777 crore. The refinery project is expected to be commissioned by March 2012 and stabilized by November 2012.