Mangaluru : People whose land is being acquired for a 32-km long crude oil pipeline between Thokur in Mangaluru and Paduru in Udupi district have sought compensation as per the land acquisition Act.

Those affected by the project met Deputy Commissioner A.B. Ibrahim on Wednesday and demanded that their land be acquired as per the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, and not as per Petroleum and Minerals Pipelines (Acquisition of Right of User Inland) Act, 1962. The compensation amount is higher in the land acquisition Act.

The pipeline would connect the strategic crude oil reserve with a capacity of 2.5 million tonnes, coming up in Padur, and the 1.5 million tonnes capacity reserve coming up at Permude near Mangaluru via Thokuru. The crude oil arrived at the New Mangalore Port would be first pumped to a junction at Thokuru from where it would be pumped to Paduru and Permude through two separate lines. Gas Authority of India Ltd. is laying the pipelines.

People led by Deviprasad Shetty of Belapu from Udupi claimed that people whose land would be acquired had been kept in the dark about the project. So far, those executing the project had not marked the extent of land that would be acquired, he said.

Chittaranjan Bhandary, the former president of Bala Gram Panchayat, said that the extent of land earmarked for laying pipelines could not be sold by the land owner or they could not grow any crop there. “In many cases, the pipeline passes through middle of our land and practically makes the remaining land unusable. Our land should be completely acquired.” Mr. Bhandary said village residents could not accept a meagre compensation. He said that the compensation should be four times the market value of the land as provided under the Land Acquisition Act 2013.

However, Mr. Ibrahim said the pipeline project was prestigious one and mattered a lot for the nation for which the village residents need to cooperate. While making clear that they would not be entitled for compensation four times of the market value of the land, Mr. Ibrahim said the compensation would be as per the notification issued under the Petroleum and Minerals Pipelines (Acquisition of Right of User Inland) Act 1962. Mr. Ibrahim said he would study their demand and have discussion with project executors.

Meanwhile, a senior official from GAIL said regardless of the opposition they were going ahead with laying the pipeline. The work has commenced at Udupi and was likely to start in Mangaluru in the next few days. Dismissing allegations that the land acquired for laying the pipeline could not be used for any other purpose, the official said paddy and other cultivation had been done in Vishakapatnam.