Mangaluru: Karnataka state medium and large scale industries minister R V Deshpande has assured to safeguard the interests of farmers and other landowners during the land acquisition process for the 4th phase of Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) expansion.
Speaking to reporters here after paying a visit to the Kadri Manjunatha Temple on Saturday, January 21 Deshpande said that farmers and landowners will be given adequate compensation before acquiring land for the expansion.
Further he added that those affected will be given jobs in public sector units and houses too will be provided to them.
The statements came in the wake of protests by the farmers for acquiring their land for the expansion project. A preliminary notification was issued by the state government in December to acquire 1,011 acres of land for the expansion purpose.
Activists and farmers have questioned the acquisition as this was being done under provisions of Karnataka Industrial Area Development Act 1966 and not under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.
