Ayyankuzhi families vacate lodge, claim BPCL-KR has agreed to pay rent

Around 30 families from Ayyankuzhi near Ambalamugal vacated the lodge at Chottanikkara where they had been staying since a fire breakout on the BPCL-Kochi Refinery (BPCL-KR) campus in their neighbourhood on July 8, following a conciliatory meeting of stakeholders convened by District Collector G. Priyanka on Thursday.

BPCL-KR, which funded their accommodation, had backed off from the commitment on August 26, nearly 50 days after they were shifted to the lodge, claiming that it was originally supposed to be a temporary arrangement for a few days. The situation reached a flashpoint when the lodge owner reportedly attempted to lock them out of their rooms on Wednesday, following which the Collector convened the meeting.

P.V. Sreenijin, Kunnathunadu MLA, who attended the meeting, said that the families had agreed to move out of the lodge after BPCL-KR agreed in principle to bear five months’ rent. The rent would be routed through the local body concerned since the company could not make any direct payment towards rent. The oil company also agreed to discuss at their board level the families’ long-standing demand for acquisition of their 9-odd acres of land at Ayyankuzhi, he said.

The Chief Secretary had also asked the company to consider such a possibility proactively at a meeting held over a month ago. “The company has been asked to consider the possibility of acquisition of the said land for any future expansion plans to overcome potential hiccups in acquisition at that time,” Mr. Sreenijin said.

However, BPCL-KR sources ruled out giving any concrete commitments either in terms of rent or potential acquisition. “We had suspended paying for their accommodation and food since last month, and that stands. We have not agreed to pay five months’ rent. It was also made clear that acquisition is project-specific, and that there is no project warranting acquisition at the moment. Since the Chief Secretary has suggested to consider potential acquisition, we have merely agreed to take it up with our higher-ups,” said sources.

During Thiruvonam, the families had staged a hunger strike in front of the lodge to draw attention to their plight and demanding the acquisition of their land. They have been claiming all along that their land is unfit for living, citing multiple reports of the Pollution Control Board to that effect.