Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Paradip, Jan 27:
As many as 143 displaced families are on a dharna in front of Indian Oil Corporation Limited’s (IOCL) refinery project at Paradip in Odisha's Jagatsinghpur district.
These families who were displaced for IOCL’s Paradip Refinery project sat on a protest dharna today in front of the refinery demanding permanent employment and rehabilitation. They have threatened to oppose Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s programme. The Prime Minister is scheduled to dedicate Paradip Refinery to the nation on February 7.
“They (IOCL authorities) haven’t fulfilled any of the promises they had made in 2013, now it’s 2016. So we decided to sit on dharna before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit. We won’t yield till our demands are fulfilled, come what may,” said a member of the displaced families on dharna.
This 15-million tonne Paradip Refinery of IOCL built at a cost of Rs 34,555 is the largest on the country’s eastern coast and is equipped with the latest technology.