IOC, Haldia Petro projects worth Rs 2 trillion may trip on land hurdles

Big ticket projects in Odisha have been hit by land acquisition woes; ArcelorMittal had to mothball its 12-mn-tonne steel mill in 2013 largely due to resistance from locals

After clearing high-value investment projects worth Rs 2.04 trillion, the Odisha government is likely to stumble on land acquisition hurdles especially for mega projects proposed by Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd (HPL).

Last month, the High Level Clearance Authority (HLCA), the highest body to approve investments in Odisha, inter alia gave the go-ahead to expansion projects proposed by IOC and a refinery cum petrochemicals complex by HPL. Between them, IOC and HPL have pledged investments valued at around Rs 1.8 trillion.

IOC has pledged a massive investment of Rs one trillion to ramp up capacity of its coastal crude