A state-level team on Monday approved a new location for setting up of oil refinery and petro-chemical complex near Pachpadra in Barmer district of Rajasthan, a senior official said.
The 15-member task force headed by Chief Secretary C K Mathew approved the new location near Pachpadra in Barmer district instead of earlier site of Leelala near Baitu in same district, Secretary Mines and Petroleum Sudhansh Pant who was also part of the team said.
The new location about 6 km away from Pachpadra was qualitatively better than Leelala which was proposed earlier, Pant said, adding it was found most suitable as per HPCL's Techno Commercial, Technical and non-tangible reports.
About 11000 beegha land likely to be required for the new refinery cum petro-chemical complext to be set up by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) at a cost of Rs 37,230 crore, the secretary said.
The refinery work would start soon after foundation laying ceremony, he said. Initially, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), which has a stake in Cairn India's Barmer oil block, had come up with the plan to build a refinery in the region.
Later, the project was taken forward by HPCL. Meanwhile, Congress MLA from Baitu Sona Ram told reporters at a function that it was unfortunate that the state government shifted the site on 'political motives' and 'bureaucratic style' of functioning without consulting villagers of Leelala.
"If people of my Baitu constituency and Barmer region start protest against change of site, I will support them," Ram said.
The nine million tonnes per annum facility, the first refinery in Rajasthan, is planned to go on stream in four years.
In March last, the Rajasthan Government had signed a memorandum of understanding with HPCL for setting up a refinery-cum-petrochemical complex in the Barmer region.
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