All activities at the IOCL’s Rs 29,000 crore Refinery Project here came to a halt today due to a picketing by The East Odisha Industrial Development Council, a local trade union.

The trade union agitated demanding rehabilitation and employment of land losers and displaced persons as well as recruitment of local people on regular jobs in the central public sector, IOCL sources said.

A discussion between the management and the trade union failed to yield any result as the workers refused to withdraw from dharna unless their demands are fulfilled. About 30,000 people were engaged in the project works as the deadline for commissioning of the refinery approached.

As the trade union activists continued to press their demands, the IOCL management sought intervention of the Jagatsinghpur district administration, the sources said.

The central public sector IOCL management has apprised its position to the District Magistrate-cum-Collector of Jagatsinghpur and action taken so far.

The district magistrate has fixed December 27 as date for holding a tripartite meeting to resolve the issue.

However, the trade union continued its agitation.

The IOCL which has been executing an infrastructure development project of 15 MTPA refinery at Paradip at an investment of more than Rs 29,000 crore, targets to go for commissioning in March next year.

The company in a release said it has discharged its obligations under the Relief and Rehabilitation plan by providing cash compensation to the displaced people, skill development of the affected youths and building a colony for rehabilitation of the people affected by the projects.

“Fifty—per cent of the workforce engaged in the project construction jobs since commencement of the projects in the year 2009 comprise of local people,” it said.

However, the IOCL mentioned that it hired some skilled manpower from outside the State due to unavailability of required human resources in the locality.

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