Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Feb 13: In a step forward towards clearing the impediments for expansion of Jammu Railway Station, the process of land acquisition near Samba for shifting the Indian Oil Depot there is in final phase and likely to be completed in next two months.
Around 90 percent process for the acquisition has been completed and the final notifications under Section 9 and 9-A are being issued within days for the land at village Bara adjoining Jammu-Pathankote National Highway near Samba, authoritative sources informed the Excelsior.
Notices under Section 4, 5, 6 and 7 have already been issued by the Revenue and District administration authorities and the entire process has been fast tracked by Deputy Commissioner Samba, sources added.
Shifting of the depot from its present place will not only ease operations of the Indian Oil with much increased storage capacity for further distribution in Jammu Kashmir but also pave the way for expansion of Jammu Railway Station besides lowering the apprehensions of major devastation due to accidental fire or sabotage by militants.
Around 100 acre land is being acquired for the new oil depot with increased underground as well as over ground infrastructure such as tanks, pipes, Railway line etc for storage and further distribution of the oil here. After the completion of acquisition process, second phase will start for developing the depot involving a cost of approximately 60 crore rupees, sources explained but refused to give a deadline for completion of the project.
The shifting was necessitated keeping in view limited area of the depot and more particularly its existence at the present site resulting into major impediment in further expansion of Jammu Railway Station with modern facilities and also security risk.
There were some militant attempts to blow up the depot and thus cause major devastation. One person was killed and several others got injured when an IED fitted in an oil tanker was triggered inside the depot.
Pertinent to mention that the Indian Oil depot is situated in a densely populated area and hardly 100 meters away from the Jammu Railway Station. Set up in early sixties when there was almost negligible population in this area, the depot has now become a major risk of accidental disaster owing to congested inhabitation around it.
Spread in an area of eight acres, the depot is also major impediment in further expansion of Jammu Railway Station. Last year, a division bench of the State High Court had made the Indian Oil Corporation a party to the writ petition filed by an NGO for modern facilities and expansion of the Jammu Railway Station. In response to the petition, the Railway authorities had expressed their helplessness in providing modern infrastructure and additional facilities at the Jammu Station owing to location of IOC depot at its land.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel