The Kochi-Salem LPG Pipeline Action Council has urged the government to re-estimate the compensation provided for the land acquired for the Kochi-Salem Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) pipeline project.

In a letter to Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, the council representatives alleged that they were denied fair compensation as per the provisions of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act- 2013, known as the LARR Act. The land belonging to several farmers was acquired by Kochi Salem Pipeline Private Limited based on an order issued by the Department of Revenue on January 7, 2019, it said.

Saji Kudiyirippil, convener of the council, said the Centre had amended the Petroleum and Minerals Pipe Line Act, 1962 in 2015. According to this order, the compensation has to be fixed as per the LARR Act. However, landowners who surrendered their land for the project were denied fair compensation as per the Act, he claimed.

The council urged the government to cancel the order issued by the Department of Revenue in 2019. It requested the authorities to re-estimate the compensation as per the LARR Act. The council also sought the intervention of the government to re-estimate the compensation awarded for agriculture crops and trees as part of the land acquisition.