Revenue Divisional Commissioner, central range, Cuttack Mr D V Swamy directed authorities of Paradip Refinery, IOCL to submit the employment list of land losers and displaced families to the administration for verification of how many of such people have been engaged in the refinery.

He also asked IOCL authorities to provide piped drinking water supply to 17 water scarcity hit villagers of Dhinkia, Fethpur, Bagadia and Paradipgarh panchyats.

The directions were issued at a meeting of the all-important Rehabilitation and Peripheral Advisory Committee (RPDAC) for Paradip Refinery project of IOCL in Jagatsinghpur on Wednesday. Paradip MLA and veteran ruling BJD leader, Dr Damodar Rout insisted that the IOCL should provide at least one member of each displaced family with a job.

He also raised other issues like drinking water, road communication, education and health facilities that need to be taken up by the project authorities. Other elected representatives including Vice- Chairman of State Planning Board Mr Bishnu Das , local MP Mr Kulamani Samal, MLA Mr Prasant Muduli, drew attention to environmental pollution in Dhinkia and other villages.

The villagers of Dhinkia panchayat which is situated near IOCL are adversely affected due to air and water pollution, they charged. Dhinkia panchyat and other villages of four panchayats are reeling under acute water crisis and IOCL has provided water through tankers. But villagers complain that it is inadequate.

The elected representatives and others at the RPDAC meeting alleged that not a single person of the displaced families have got a job in IOCL. 1752 families were displaced by the project. Revenue Divisional Commissioner who is the convenor of the RPDAC asked IOCL authorities to prepare a list of 500 unemployed youths of displaced and land loser families & to give training to 100 unemployed youths every year through CIPET for skill development.

He also asked the IOCL authority to submit the name of affected families and their employment opportunity with name & address to the administration for posting on the website. IOCL officials, on their part, explained that as per Rehabilitation and Resettlement policy, a total of 143 families were displaced during installation of Paradip Refinery project and members of 45 families have• got employment opportunity in maintenance sector, 95 families have received cash of Rs 1.18 crores for loss of their land and four families are not responding or not staying in the area to receive cash or employment.

The oil PSU officials said, IOCL has been given employment to 700 land losers and displaced families of adjoining villages. 120 youths have been gone apprentice training through CIPET in which each had received Rs 10,000 towards stipend.

Total 1734 people belonging to the state of whom 1108 are from Jagatsinghpur district and 289 from Kendrapada district have been engaged.

Earlier, IOCL had spent only Rs 2 crores for peripheral development works in and around Paradip area within two years. Collector Mrs Yamini Sarangi, executive director, Paradip Refinery Mr Gauri Sankar Singh and others were present.