BHUBANESWAR: The state government has initiated the land acquisition process for the proposed `58,042 crore petrochemical complex in Jagatsinghpur district by launching the mandatory social impact assessment (SIA).
The Revenue department has issued a notification under Section 4 of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, for the acquisition of 219.617 acre of private land at Badakantakandha village under Erasama tehsil. The land will be acquired through the Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO).
The petrochemical complex is planned under a joint venture involving the state government and Indian Oil Corporation Ltd’s proposed dual-feed naphtha cracker project at Paradip for which the company signed an investment agreement with the state during the Odisha Investors’ Meet in New Delhi in April 2025. The project entails an investment of Rs 58,042 crore and is expected to significantly strengthen the downstream petrochemical ecosystem around the Paradip refinery.
The SIA, a statutory prerequisite before land acquisition, will assess the project’s social implications and determine whether the proposed acquisition serves a public purpose. Jaipur-based Green India has been appointed to conduct the field survey under the supervision of the Nabakrushna Choudhury Centre for Development Studies, the state’s designated SIA unit.
The assessment will involve household surveys, consultations with affected landowners and villagers, focused group discussions and documentation of public opinion. The findings will form the basis for a public hearing under the Odisha Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Rules, 2016.
The notification said the projects involving private companies require the consent of 80 per cent of affected families before land acquisition, while public-private partnership projects require the consent of at least 70 per cent of affected families.
The SIA is scheduled to be completed within four months of the notification. The final report will be made available in Odia at the gram panchayat, village and ward levels, besides being displayed at the offices of the collector, sub-collector and block development officer. It will also be uploaded on the state government’s website, paving the way for the next stage of the land acquisition process.