Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Mar 4: As the land acquisition process concerning space required for the fourth phase expansion of Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) has not been completed, the expansion plan is likely to be delayed further.

For the expansion plan, MRPL is in need of 1,050 acres of land. The company had approached the government with a request to acquire land for its expansion plan. Notification to acquire 963 acres of land spread over Permude, Kuthethoor, Tenka Yekkar, Muloor and Kandavara villages had been issued. Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board had begun the process of acquiring land. As several land owners who are set to lose their land have approached courts against the process, the process has been facing bottlenecks.

MRPL had decided as far back as in 2016 itself to launch its fourth unit with an investment of Rs 20,000 crore. Once land is acquired, the company proposes to obtain permission of the central government and start operation on the fourth unit. The unit was planned to be used for construction of new facilities with 33 percent of land having been earmarked for green belt. But beating the March 2020 for the project as planned appears impossible now, sources said.

The farmers have been resisting the process of acquiring their land for the project. They had come together and held protests. A few are ready to sacrifice their land, while some have approached the courts. Out of 862 acres of notified land, 463 acres has been acquired. Compensation has been disbursed to owners of 246 acres of land and the remaining owners are yet to receive compensation. Several farmers are determined to block the efforts of the company to acquire land.

Joint director of District Industries Centre, Dakshina Kannada, Gokuldas Nayak, says that notification to acquire 963 acres of land has been issued for MRPL fourth phase and the process is on. He said that compensation distribution work is progressing.