Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Dec 20: Non availability of suitable land continues to delay shifting of Indian Oil Depot from the existing site and thus proposed expansion of the Jammu Railway Station remains held up while apprehensions of any disaster in the fuel packed area keep looming large.
Even after more than a year since the shelving of almost finalized project of shifting IOC Depot from the site adjoining Jammu Railway Station to Barian in Samba following objections of the Ministry of Defence, the Indian Oil Corporation has failed to get an alternate and safe land adjoining Railway track.
Official sources told the Excelsior that technical issues in selection of land and apprehensions of locals with regard to risk factors associated with presence of an Oil Depot in their area, are delaying the proposed shifting project, which has been facing rough weather for the last more than five years.
Despite the best possible efforts of the incumbent Divisional Commissioner Pawan Kotwal and Deputy Commissioner Jammu Simrandeep Singh, the administration could not convince the locals of village Pargalta near Mansar Surinsar road for their no-objection over developing the Oil Depot in the area, which was otherwise most suitable for the same, sources added.
In the wake of opposition of locals, who even warned a stir against the proposed shifting of Oil Depot in Pargalta, sources said that both IOC and the Divisional administration are clueless over the fate of shifting Oil Depot.
It may be recalled that despite completion of maximum formalities for commencing work to shift the Oil Depot from Jammu Railway Station to Samba, the project was shelved following objection of a team by the Ministry of Defence over proximity of the identified site with International Border. Following this development, the IOC requested the State Government to identify suitable land, approximately 125 acre, for a new site at Jammu-Udhampur stretch alongside Railway Track. The then Divisional Commissioner Jammu forwarded the IOC request to Deputy Commissioners of Jammu and Udhampur besides specifically assigning the job in this regard to Tehsildar Jammu.
As the proposed site for Oil Depot needs to be adjoining Railway track or a station, the administration is facing difficulty to identify a suitable place, particularly due to non-cooperation of locals. A similar opposition by locals, like in Pargalta, was faced near Vijaypur site before selection of Barian in Samba where people readily agreed for giving their land but objections of Defence Ministry stalled the project, sources explained.
On the other hand, sources added, the continuous delay in shifting of Oil Depot from its existing site, is holding up much needed expansion and modernization of the Jammu Railway Station.
Spread in eight acres only, the India Oil depot is presently situated in a densely populated area and hardly 100 meters away from the Jammu Tawi Railway Station. Set up in early sixties when there was almost negligible population in this area, the depot has now also become a major risk of disaster. One person was killed and several others got injured when an IED fitted in an oil tanker was triggered inside the depot a few years ago.
Further, the presence of Oil Depot in its existing place is stalling the development of adjoining residential area and the situation can be gauged from the fact that even after more than a decade since the J&K Housing Board earmarked a colony near Channi Rama, the persons holding the plots are not constructing houses there.
Besides these reasons, shifting of the Oil Depot from its present place is also necessitated to ease operations of the Indian Oil Corporation with much increased storage capacity for further distribution in Jammu Kashmir, sources in IOC said.
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