Paradip: The fortnight-long protest by residents displaced by the refinery project paid dividends after company officials agreed to engage them on contractual basis.

The families affected by the Rs 34,000-crore Paradip refinery project had resorted to an indefinite agitation from May 4 to press for employment of at least one member from each family of land losers.

Agitators said the plant authorities had shied away from meeting their demands. As a last resort, the agitators, including women, resorted to peaceful picketing that prompted the district administration to intervene.

The administration held talks with the refinery management and an amicable settlement was reached. The company management, which had stood firm till then, consented to provide avenues of income for the affected people, said additional district magistrate Kanhu Charan Dhir.

Dhir said: "The administration, company officials and members of affected families sat together and worked out an amicable settlement on Saturday. The company has agreed to engage 100 people in the first phase within a week. The other eligible families would be engaged on contract at a later stage."

The company had allegedly meted out a raw deal to displaced families and left them out of rehabilitation settlements. "We are happy as the company has addressed our grievances," said Prasant Kumar Biswal, spokesperson for Jamihara Krushak Ekata Manch, an outfit of displaced families.

"The Indian Oil Company has resolved to lay emphasis on generating employment avenues for the affected landowners as well as people living in peripheral areas. While engaging people in the project, the a public sector undertaking is adhering to the Rehabilitation & Relief (R&R) Policy formed by the government and approved by the Rehabilitation Advisory Committee in December 2002," said Manjushree Singh, senior manager (administration and welfare) of the Paradip refinery project.