BATHINDA: The residents of five villages near Indian Oil Corporation(IOC) terminal on Wednesday opposed the proposed expansion of the
petroleum products storage capacity at village Phoos Mandi on Bathinda-Mansa road. A public hearing regarding expansion of the storage capacity of IOC was held at the village Phoos Mandi gate of corporation. The
district administration and Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) jointly conducted the hearing where people raised their objections alleging with the expansion their miseries will increase as due to storage of petroleum products their lives remain at constant danger. The residents of Phoos Mandi, Bhagu, Gulabgarh, Katar Singh Wala and Jassi Pau Wali raised the objections over plans of expansion.
The Indian Oil has to double its petrol terminal capacity from 72,687 kilo litres to 1,50,207 kilo litres. Under the expansion project the corporation will be laying tanks for ethanol and other chemicals. The corporation already has the land to carry out the expansion.
As per rules the company has to seek environmental clearance before commencing the expansion project for which the views of the public living nearby are obtained and public hearing is conducted.
Naib Singh of village Phoos Mandi said that ammunition depot is also situated due to which we remain under constant danger and with the expansion that danger will increase. The stink emanating from the depot is unbearable which will further increase. Another resident said that we are not allowed even to celebrate
Diwali and we have to send our children to relatives to celebrate Diwali as there is always danger of any fire incident and it will increase with the expansion.
The pollution control board authorities recorded the proceedings of hearing and these will be put up at concerned panchayat ghar, zila parishad and the office of district magistrate and PPCB.
Bathinda Additional Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawheny who supervised the hearing said that “the villagers raised certain objections as they apprehended some problems with the expansion. The raised certain scientific issues which the IOC duly recoded. We have noted down all the concerns raised by the villagers and these will be discussed minutely with IOC and the state government will be apprised about the objections”. She said that the villages also raised some issues which are local in nature like road connectivity, or approaches to villages which could be solved by district administration and the villagers have been called to discuss these issues on Friday.