Residents of Dhinkia panchayat under Erasama block resumed their protests against the IOCL's Paradip-Hyderabad pipeline project on Monday.
Hundreds of villagers including women from Dhinkia, Govindapur and Trilochanpur villages converged at Phulakhai temple inside Dhinkia village and raised slogans against IOCL. Addressing the protestors, Dhinkia Panchayat Samiti member Debendra Swain said they were opposing the pipeline project due to acquisitions of valuable land, including agriculture and pasture lands.
If such land is acquired, it would affect the agriculture of the area. Besides, cows and bovines would lose grazing grounds, he told."The IOCL and the civil administration meeting held on Saturday was inconclusive. Officials have not considered the ground level problems of villagers. So we will not leave our pasture land for the pipe line project," Swain informed.
Another agitator Askhya Swain fumed against IOCL authority for failing to create jobs for the locals.The Saturday meeting held in Jagatsinghpur Collectorate to resolve the pipe line row was stage managed by arranging a few people who are supporters of the project.
But most of the villagers are opposing the project, Swain added. The police rushed to the spot to maintain law and order.
