Hundreds of farmers under the banner of Bhumihara Krushak Ekta Manch, led by the local MP Bibhu Prasad Tarai, staged a demonstration on Tuesday in front of the site of the oil refinery project of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) at Paradip. They have threatened to intensify their stir against the refinery project in the event of non-fulfillment of their demands. Tarai said, IOC has neglected the land losers and the displaced families after land acquisition.
He alleged that IOC had acquired land at throw away prices at a time when other companies like Essar, Indian Farmers Fertlisers Cooperative Limited (Iffco) and Deepak Fertilisers paid Rs 15-20 lakh per acre to the land losers. IOC has acquired 3,300 hectares of private land for its oil refinery project and had paid Rs 49 crore as compensation to the affected families in 17 villages under the Kujang tehsil.