President of Paradip-Ersama Industrial Development Council Bapi Sarkhel met Union Petroleum Minister M Veerappa Moily in New Delhi recently seeking his intervention for rehabilitation of land losers and displaced families of IOCL Refinery project at Paradip.
He explained in details the plight of land losers and displaced families to Moily. The Union Minister told him that he was not aware of the situation and assured to instruct IOCL to resolve the issues.
Sarkhel was recently nominated as chief advisor of Paradip Displaced Persons Cooperative Society Ltd, the only body to have been recognised by IOCL. However, of 149 displaced and land loser families, who are members of the society, none has benefited from the refinery.
Sarkhel said the IOCL authorities as well as the local administration have paid no attention to these families who parted with 3,330 acre of private land for the refinery project in 1998. Earlier, both project authority and State Government had assured that the affected families will be compensated and displaced would get housing facility and employment.
Even the Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy of the State Government has not been implemented by IOCL despite repeated representations from the Society, he said. Sarkhel was instrumental in recent wage hike of the workers of Goa Carbon Ltd and IOCL contractual staff.