MRPL fourth phase expansion works will be sped up if land issues are resolved: Sanjay Varma

MRPL is committed to take up its fourth phase expansion and it will be quickened once the land is made available, said Sanjay Varma, Director (Refinery), who is holding the additional charge of Managing Director

Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) is committed to take up its fourth phase expansion and it will be quickened once the land is made available, said Sanjay Varma, Director (Refinery), who is holding the additional charge of Managing Director of the company, here on Wednesday.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of MRPL signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Forest Department on the restoration of mangrove forest, Mr. Varma said the company could not go ahead with the expansion project as the land is yet to be made available.

Mr. Varma said the fourth phase expansion plans were done prior to COVID-19 “The business environment has been changing fast since then,” he said, and added that the MRPL is reconsidering changing the units which were originally proposed to be set up as part of the fourth phase expansion to help the public sector undertaking in import substitution.

B.H.V Prasad, Executive Director (projects), said about 800 acres of land is required for the fourth phase expansion.

The process of acquisition started in 2016 and there are some issues, including litigation, which has stalled acquisition of land. Hence the company is having a relook on the units proposed to be set up in the fourth phase, he said.

About the demand for recruiting more local people in MRPL, Group General Manager (Human Resource) Krishna Hegde said the public sector undertaking is making all efforts to recruit local people. Nearly 66% of the permanent staff and 89% of the secondary workforce in MRPL are from Karnataka. The recruitment is done as per rules prescribed by the Union government.

On the ongoing process of recruiting diploma and BSc degree holders for 50 posts in the non-management cadre, Mr. Rao said these posts require persons with two and more years of experience.