Odisha: Local Resistance Forces IOCL to Stall Work on Paradip- Hyderabad Pipeline Project

Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) was has stalled construction of Asia’s largest pipeline -- Paradip-Hyderabad Product Pipeline – for now, after resistance by local people in a village in Odisha, who said that permission from the gram sabha was not taken for proceeding with the project.

The local residents, mainly to belonging to a tribal community in Erasama block of Dhinkia gram panchayat, last month intensified their stir, which includes demand for jobs, healthcare facilities, drinking water among others, also reportedly threatened to physically remove the pipelines that have been laid on the their grazing land for cattle.

As a result, the public sector IOCL has been forced to stall the pipe-laying process for now.

The Erasama block tehsildar, Chittaranjan Mohanty, confirmed to New Indian Express, that IOCL had not yet been given right of way (ROW) by the Odisha government for laying the pipeline for the project at Dhinkia.  Permission had been sought in June 2018, he said, adding that it had not been given yet.

“The project will be restarted once IOCL is given the necessary permission by the authorities,” he added.

Also Read: Asia’s Longest Pipeline May Cause Environmental Disaster, Triggers Protests in Odisha

Meanwhile, upbeat by the impact of the resistance by the villagers, Prasant Paikray, an activist present on the ground, told NewsClick: “Meetings were held with the district administration of Jagadishpur last Saturday. While the government urged the villagers to accept the project, there was stiff opposition. The talks failed and fresh protests took place over the weekend. The sentiment on the ground is that the company has been given a very clear message that the villagers will continue to resist the project.” 

Paikray added: “The district administration does not have any real power to negotiate with villagers. It is the company which will have to decide the fate of the project.” 

The foundation stone of the pipleine was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 2018. The 1,200-km-long and Rs 3800-crore worth pipeline project stretching from Paradip in Odisha to Hyderabad in Telangana, has triggered a stir as it allegedly poses a major threat to ecology, agriculture and human life.

The pipeline will encompass around 330 km in Odisha, 723 km in Andhra Pradesh, and 160 km in Telangana. It is being built for the transportation of 4.5 million tonnes per annum (MMTPA) of petrol, diesel, and aviation fuel.

According to activists, the project poses a big threat to large swathes of land across states, covering forests, farmlands, grazing grounds and water bodies. The project also allegedly poses a risk for to adivasi and dalit communities on whose land the pipeline will pass through.

The pipeline passes through key forest divisions in Odisha—Rajnagar Wildlife division, Cuttack Division, Puri Division, and Berhampur Division among several others, where common land of the villagers will be acquired for the project.

In May this year, villagers under the Balitutha panchayat in Kujang block had a scuffle with officials from IOCL when they came to demarcate land for the proposed pipeline.  Reportedly, nearly 50 acres has been identified in Balitutha for the project. The actual scale of just how much land will be acquired, with the project being one of the biggest in the continent, remains unascertained.

Also Read: Odisha: Tribes in Dhinkia Launch Fresh Stir Against IOCL Pipeline