Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Oct 9: Despite completion of maximum formalities for commencing work, the much delayed mega project of shifting Indian Oil Depot from Jammu adjoining Railway Station to Samba is once again back to square one following an alert sounded by the Ministry of Defence over proximity of the identified site with International Border.
In a suo moto alert, the Ministry of Defence cautioned the Indian Oil Corporation against shifting the Depot to Barian in Samba keeping in view of the hostile activities from across the border, which have witnessed infiltration of armed terrorists and unprovoked firing by the enemy troops, official sources informed the Excelsior.
Taking cognizance of the alert, sources added, the Indian Oil Corporation has shelved its project of shifting the Depot to Barian in Samba and now asked the State Government to identify suitable land for a new site at Jammu-Udhampur stretch alongside Railway Track.
With this development, the ambitious project worth hundreds of crores of rupees for shifting the IOC Depot from its present location near the Jammu Tawi Railway Station is once again back to square one after remaining held up for more than five years due to different reasons.
After initial hick-ups the project was held up again last year after the Railway Board kept delaying its clearance on feasibility of rail line for the depot notwithstanding the completion of all formalities and even issuance of final notices for acquisition of around one hundred acre land at village Barian.
Due to the awaited clearance by Railway Board, the Oil companies did not release the money for distribution of the same to affected parties and acquisition of the land to commence work on setting up new IOC Depot.
At the time when IOC was vigorously pursuing the matter with Railway Board for its early clearance, a suo moto alert by the Defence Ministry forced the authorities to review the entire project vis-à-vis the identified site, sources said.
Sensing gravity of the threat from across the border, which is hardly a few kilometers from the proposed site for Oil Depot, sources said that the IOC authorities preferred to look for a safer site and therefore requested the Divisional Commissioner Jammu for identifying 125 acre land at Jammu-Udhampur stretch alongside Railway track.
Even as the Divisional Commissioner is learnt to have forwarded the request to Deputy Commissioners of Jammu and Udhampur besides specifically assigning the job in this regard to Tehsildar Jammu, the mega project is unlikely to see light of the day soon as the entire process would take time, sources said.
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 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.
Besides lowering the apprehensions of major devastation due to accidental fire or sabotage by militants, shifting of the 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 and pave the way for expansion of Jammu Tawi Railway Station.
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