The Rajasthan government and state-owned Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) on Thursday signed an agreement to set up a joint venture company HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Ltd to execute the ambitious oil refinery project in Barmer. The green field refinery-cum-petrochemical complex is to be set up in Pachpadra on a government land with an estimated cost of Rs 37,229 crore and scheduled to be set up in 4 years.
"After this agreement, a joint venture company will be set up and thereafter foundation laying ceremony will take place. Best technologies will be brought in Jaipur and there will be development of the state as a whole after the project is complete," HPCL CMD Roy Choudhury said at a joint press conference with the state government.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot asked the company officials to work in a time-bound manner in order to set up the refinery in stipulated time period of four years. He also suggested them to start process to train local level people for employment purpose. Asserting that fiscal parameters of the state were well under limits, Gehlot said that the state has investment- friendly environment and setting up of the refinery will be a milestone.
Referring to a recent Assocham report which places Rajasthan on the fourth position from investment point of view, Gehlot said that the state would be higher in rank if the investment of refinery is taken into account. The CM also informed that he has directed chief secretary to make sure that the development around the refinery area, both in residential and commercial/industrial, is in planned manner with no illegal sale or purchase of the lands.
K V Rao Director Finance, and Sudhansh Pant, Secretary Mines- Government of Rajasthan, signed the agreement in the presence of the chief minister, state mines minister Rajendra Pareek, CMD-HPCL Roy Choudhury and other officials. HPCL and the state government had on March 14 this year signed an MoU for setting up the 9 MMTPA oil refinery.
The proposed refinery, in which HPCL and GoR have share of 74 and 26 per cent, respectively, will source crudes from Rajasthan oil fields and other imported crudes. The refinery will produce various petroleum and pro-chemical products. It was earlier proposed to be set up in Leelala village but, due to locals' opposition over the compensation for land acquisition, the location of the project was shifted to Pachpadra in the same district of Barmer.
Gehlot said that he has asked the Chief Secretary to ensure that the development of areas nearby the project site is in planned manner with no irregularities. He said that he gave the direction after certain media reports suggesting irregularities in sale and purchase of lands in area where the refinery was proposed to set up earlier (in Leelala village).
Any citizen can purchase land anywhere in the country, in general and there should be no issue if the deal is lawful, he said. Referring to BJP's allegation in the past that Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, purchased land in Bikaner and nearby areas with the help of state government, Gehlot said that the government did not assist him buying any land and there was no scam.
"Like Vadra purchased land and there was no undue benefit to him by the government, anyone can also purchase a land lawfully but BJP tries to mislead people and makes controversies," he said. The refinery project site has now been changed following opposition of locals in Leelala village where the government had to acquire the land. The present site is a government land thus has no issue of acquisition.
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