Displaced people at the oil refinery project. Telegraph picture

Paradip, Dec. 23: Local residents and land losers today stalled construction at the Rs 30,000-crore Paradip oil refinery project seeking jobs on a permanent payroll for the project-affected people.

“Protesters have locked up the main gate. They stopped workers and officials from entering the site. However, the agitation has been peaceful and incident free. As a precautionary measure, armed police were deployed at the spot,” said Jagatsinghpur superintendent of police Satyabrata Bhoi.

Satyananda Panda, adviser to the East Odisha Industrial Development Council, an outfit espousing the cause of displaced and land losers, alleged that the company had meted out a raw deal to them. “The displaced families have neither been rehabilitated nor provided jobs,” he said.

“I had to part with an acre for the project. Though I received the compensation, the company has not provided employment to any of my family members. The oil company had committed to engage at least one member from each of the displaced family in the Rehabilitation and Peripheral Development Advisory Committee meeting,” said Suresh Chandra Behera, a land loser.

Chief of the outfit Golekha Chandra Nayak said: “The company had acquired 3,344 acres in 2002 from landowners at throwaway prices. The compensation was just about Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh per acre. The displaced families had pinned hopes that would be suitably resettled and their family members would be given jobs in the project.” He said the agitation would continue till the company came out with a public announcement regarding permanent jobs for people of the 143 displaced families.

General manager (HR) of the Paradip oil refinery project W.R. Barbara said: “A total of 143 displaced families have been provided with 10 decimal homestead plots each at Dhinkia. They have also been given cash following the Odisha rehabilitation policy. We have engaged more than 80 people from the displaced families on contractual payroll. Recruitment for permanent jobs will be done with commissioning of the project next year.”

He said the oil company had carried out Rs 2.15 crore worth of peripheral development activity in the neighbouring villages.

“The company does not come under the purview of Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy, 2006, as the land acquisition for the refinery project was completed in 2002. However, keeping in view larger interest of the local residents, the company is committed to employ them once the refinery project is fully commissioned,” he said.