Nagapattinam District Small and Tiny Industries Association (NADISTIA) has urged the State government to reconsider its decision to withdraw the proposed petrochemical cluster at Nagapattinam.
Referring to the government’s withdrawal of the bid for the proposed Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the petrochemical cluster, NADISTIA president V. Ramachandiran said the district being economically backward, agricultural jobs were available only for three months in a year, and that the cluster planned on a 1,000-acre expanse to capitalise on the construction of a refinery by Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd (CPCL) must not be dropped.
Citing the commencement of work on the ₹31,580-crore project by CPCL for the project entailing output of nine million metric ton per annum (MMTPA) at the grassroot refinery, Mr. Ramachandiran said in a press release that the job opportunities arising from the cluster project would benefit the entire composite district.
The crux of the problem was the low compensation being offered to farmers for the acquired land. By addressing this issue and assuring jobs for the eligible member of the families of those from whom the land had been acquired, the issue could be resolved.
The prevailing apprehension that the environment would be affected by the project had no basis since CPCL had made it clear that the entire intake of crude oil and re-routing of the finished products would be carried out through pipelines to berth platforms in offshore points. The end products from the refinery could be utilised by ancillary units in the cluster project for generation of jobs and economic progress, Mr. Ramachandiran said.
