PARADIP: Public hearing to obtain forest clearance for the proposed Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemicals Investment Region (PCPIR) in Paradip has drawn the ire of locals.
Affected villagers, farmers and elected representatives of the area have alleged that they were left out of the meeting which was held by the administration and Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) in the presence of ADM, Paradip Kanhu Charan Dhir on December 29.
As per sub-rule (3) of rule 5 under the Environment Protection Act, environmental clearance is mandatory for setting up of these projects.
Convener of Adivasi Samajik Anusthan Pitamber Tarai said the affected villagers were deliberately ignored in the meeting.
“We had earlier raised the issue of air and water pollution as well as unemployment and that is the reason we have been left out of the public hearing. We will take help of law to settle the matter if needed,” added Tarai.
Smrutiranjan Behera, chairman of Kujang panchayat samiti echoed similar sentiments and said that the administration is not making any efforts to involve the villagers and turning a blind eye to their plight. Meanwhile, Dilip Kumar Dash, regional officer, OSPCB, said that notification about public hearing was published in local dailies.
“The allegations levelled by the villagers are false as the board had also distributed leaflets, put up posters at public places and government offices and carried out announcements in 69 affected villages,” added Dash.
The refinery will have a crude and vacuum distillation unit, a hydro-cracking unit, a delayed coke unit and other secondary processing facilities. It will also have an integrated gasification combined cycle plant for production of steam, power and hydrogen from petroleum coke for captive use in the refinery.
It will be built on a 284-square km area in Paradip and Kendrapara covering 26 villages in Erasama, 61 in Kujang, 52 in Mahakalapada, 12 each in Marsaghai and Paradip municipality.
The fourth in the country, the PCPIR project will have IOCL’s oil refinery as the anchor tenant and is expected to attract investment to the tune of Rs 29,777 crore in the first phase.