Pipeline work for oil refinery to be stopped

CUTTACK: The laying of the pipeline for the Paradip oil refinery project of IOCL has once again come under scrutiny over weakening embankments and posing serious danger to the millennium city.Expressing concern over the digging of the slopes of the embankments for laying of the pipeline by Lanco on behalf of the oil major, the district administration has stepped in to prevent further damage. Cuttack Collector Girish SN has asked the company to stop further work as the administration prepares to hold discussions with the Water Resources Secretary and the Chief Engineer in the connection.The alarm bells have rung as the stretch from Mahanadi Vihar to Gatiroutpatna, where the pipe laying work is on, had faced threats of embankment breach during the flood situation last year. With water seeping through the weak spots, locals had to keep overnight vigil while administration made arrangements for sand bag packing along the stretch.The Collector and other senior officers had visited the site of the pipe laying near Gandhipalli on Friday for an on-the-spot assessment following complaints by the locals. The issue was also raised in the District Natural Calamity meeting recently with members urging the administration to stop the work. They accused the Lanco company of willfully weakening the embankment by digging on both sides.During the visit, the district authorities found the embankment sides had been dug for laying of the pipeline. This obviously puts the old structure of the embankment at risk. The stone packing work by the company is also not satisfactory. “We have sought discussions with the higher officials of the Water Resources Department on the issue for expert monitoring to ensure that the embankment is unharmed,” Girish said.The Mahanadi Banchao Andolan has also come down heavily on the pipeline work stating that a massive movement would be launched if the work is not cancelled.