Dharmasala MLA takes stock of Govt steps for early execution of Petroleum Reserve, seeks jobs for locals .
By Akshya rout
Jajpur: Dharmasala MLA Himanshu Sekhar Sahu on Thursday chaired a high-level meeting with the Jajpur district administration officials for immediate initiation of the Dankari Oil Project, also referred to as the Chandikhol Strategic Petroleum Reserve and emphasised on employment opportunities for the locals.
The proposed project is a major strategic underground oil storage facility planned at the Dankari hills near Chandikhol in the Jajpur district of Odisha. The project is designed to bolster India’s energy security by storing crude oil, with a capacity of 4 million metric tonnes (MT).
Sahu chaired a high-level meeting at the Jajpur District Collector’s office and discussed various matters related to the proposed Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL) project at Chandikhol Dankari in Dharmasala tehsil of Jajpur district.
The Union Cabinet approved the Chandikhol SPR project on June 27, 2018. Later, on April 8, 2025, an MoU was signed between EPICL, the Odisha Government and Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited to advance the project. However, no tangible no tangible step was taken up in the past to actually sanction the land in favour of ISPRL.
The MLA alleged that the project was deliberately put in cold box and it is only because of the current BJP Government the entire land could be sanctioned in a record time.
The land has been sanctioned by terminating more than ten active quarries on which large number of local population were dependent for their livelihood.
The MLA emphasised the importance of developing the affected area and guaranteeing local employment.
To make the Strategic Petroleum Reserve project operational, MLA Sahu personally held a meeting with ISPRL. He praised the initiative that will support development and ensure fuel security, and he promised to take steps regarding appointments and related development matters.
This meeting discussed various matters related to the rapid implementation of the ISPARR project. On the March 11, a follow-up high-level meeting on the project was held under the chairmanship of the State Chief Secretary, bringing together all local stakeholders associated with the project.
Jajpur District Collector Ambar Kumar Kar, SP Yashpratap Shrimala, MD and CEO of ISPIRL and the deputy director mines Jayaprakash Nayak, the Additional Chief Secretary of the Steel and Mines Department, representatives of IDCO, and other senior officials attended the meeting.
In this meeting the Principal Secretary commended the approval of the required 400 acres of land for the ISP RPL project and also expressed concern about reports of illegal mineral extraction at the site. He directed that necessary measures be taken to ensure the security of the project site.