BALASORE: Yet another project in the State has hit a road block over land acquisition. People in the district are opposing the proposed gas pipeline of Reliance Industries Ltd demanding hike in the compensation amount.The RIL is to lay the 1,100-km Kakinada-Basudebpur-Howrah pipeline (KBHPL). It is one of the three trunk pipelines the Central Government had authorised Reliance Gas - a subsidiary of Mukesh Ambani’s RIL - to lay in 2007. The other two are 1,395-km Kakinada-Bharuch pipeline and the 577-km Kakinada-Chennai pipeline.While the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) has issued showcause to the RIL as to why its license should not be cancelled for the delay in laying of the pipelines, an uncertain future stares in the face of the company authorities. It was supposed to complete the work within Andhra Pradesh by year-end.The villagers, whose lands are to be acquired for the pipeline, were served notices, a few days back. However, they alleged that as per the Petroleum and Mineral Pipeline (Acquisition of the Right of User in Land) Act 1962, only 10 per cent of the land cost would be provided to the land losers which is not acceptable to them.They said the land under which pipeline would be laid cannot be used for any construction and even plantation of trees. “Once acquired, we lost the right over our land. If we do not have any right over the land, why should we be paid only 10 per cent? We should be paid cent percent of the land cost,” said Santosh Das, a land owner.The villagers also claimed that they had not been explained by the Government officials or the RIL about benefits of the project. They pointed out that the petroleum pipelines laid from Paradip to Haldia have cracked at places in the recent past causing crude oil leakage putting lives and properties of the locals at risk.Bhogarai MLA Ananta Das said the proposed gas pipelines are more dangerous than the petroleum pipeline and if it cracks the entire area will be devastated. “So before taking up the project, the locals and people’s representatives should be taken into confidence,” he said.Das said the Centre has recently introduced the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2011, and made several changes in the Land Acquisition Act, 1984. The compensation amount has been increased four times the market value along with other benefits to the land owners. “But why the land losers here are being given only 10 per cent of the land value?” he questioned.Besides indicating that the notices had not been served to all the land losers, the MLA demanded amendment to the Petroleum and Mineral Pipeline (Acquisition of the Right of User in Land) Act, 1962.Meanwhile, Das has sent letters to the RIL authorities, Secretaries of Revenue, Steel and Mines, Transport and Commerce requesting them to take up the matter with the Centre on behalf of the land losers.
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