The people’s campaign against the establishment of a cooking gas receiving jetty and storage facility on Puthuvype island has demanded that the Indian Oil Corporation stop its “false propaganda” about the project.
‘An exaggeration’
In a statement issued here on Thursday, Puthuvype LPG Terminal Virudha Janakeeya Samara Samithi claimed that the IOC was exaggerating the investments it had already made in the project.
The statement claimed that since the people had been opposing the terminal project since 2009, the IOC had not been able to complete even the compound wall for the premises. However, the Samithi alleged, the IOC was claiming that half the project work had been completed and it had invested ₹360 crore in the project.
The Samithi also said that IOC was claiming that the LPG facilities should be established on the coast even as there was a pipeline available to establish the storage facility at Ambalamugal near the Kochi refinery.
‘Unnecessary’
The Samithi also claimed that the LPG project would be unnecessary as LPG production at the Kochi refinery would be enhanced to 1.17 crore tonne and Kerala’s demand was 10 lakh tonnes. It also refused to accept the IOC argument that mounted storage of LPG was safe.
Under these circumstances, the Samithi said, that the company must abandon the LPG project on the island.