The villagers of Dhinkia have said that they will not allow laying the pipeline of IOCL through their village. “The authorities of Paradip –Hyderabad Product Pipeline (PHPL) should bypass their village,” they said.

The discord took place at a meeting between villagers and authorities of Paradip –Hyderabad Product Pipeline (PHPL) of IOCL held on Thursday. Earlier, the villagers had given a memorandum to the authorities asking them not to lay the pipe line as they were being subjected to harassment by Paradip Refinery of IOCL and had also pointed out that local youth were not getting any employment in the project.

They also raised issues of pollution. It was after this that the PHPL officials interacted with the villagers and sought their views on laying of the pipeline. Sarpanch of Dhinkia panchyat Ms Salila Nayak said ‘ the villagers are agitated over the high handedness of IOCL authorities and lack of job opportunities ; due to pollution trees and betel vines are adversely affected”.

She said the panchayat has adopted a resolution not to allow PHPL to lay its pipeline in the village. Displace families are yet to get permanent jobs and all that is given to some youth of the area is temporary lowly employment under some contract agency.

IOCL has not implemented the R&R policy-2006 of the Odisha government on the plea and its project started in 2000 and hence the 2006 policy is not applicable.

Rehabilitation colony for all the 143 displaced families with health and sanitation facilities as per the R&R policy has not implemented by IOCL.

The leaves of betel vine in Dhinkia, Trilochanpur, Mahal, and other villages are getting burnt due to release of effluents from the refinery, she alleged while pointing out that villagers had submitted a petition to the Odisha state pollution control board.

It may be noted here that the pipeline is to be laid covering 1150 KM from Paradip to Hyderabad with intermediate pumping – cum – delivery station at Berhampur (Odisha) and at Visakhapatnam, Rajahmundry & Vijayawada.

This Paradip- Hyderabad pipeline would be laid for evacuation of white oil products (i.e.MS, HSD, SKO & ATF) from the Paradip refinery to depots in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.