Though it has been over 25 years since the mathura Refinery nagar came into existence, the township doesn’t seem to have moved a Bit with time. No wonder the people are now opting to move out, finds Vareen Ray
It was supposed to be a feather in IOCL’s cap when it was commissioned in 1982. Taking Nehru’s dream further, Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), India’s largest state-run petroleum products retailer, and India’s largest corporation had set up its sixth refinery in north India, to meet the growing demand of petroleum products in the region, particularly in the national capital region (NCR). Mathura refinery was started with an original capacity of 6 MMTP (which was later increased to 7.5 MMTP). Located strategically and advantageously between the capital city of Delhi and Agra, the refinery was situated in the mythological land of the birth place of Lord Krishna – Mathura. Along with the refinery, IOCL also helped set up a township called Mathura Refinery Nagar. The gated community comprised houses, a Kendriya Vidyalaya school, a hospital, a community centre, a number of parks, et al.
But over the last few years, the refinery has been plagued with concerns raised by environmental protection groups with regard to its expansion plans. In the early 1980s, a 55 kilometre area around the historic Taj Mahal was declared as Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) to protect the monument from pollution. The TTZ area was later increased to 10,400 sq km after the Supreme Court gave a ruling on December 30, 1996 in favour of a PIL that was seeking to protect the Taj Mahal from environmental pollution. As the refinery is barely 50 kilometers away from the historical monument of Taj Mahal, environmental groups are up in arms claiming the sulfur-dioxide emissions has already caused tremendous damage to the seventeenth-century monument, and any further expansion of the refinery will only make it worse. IOCL is still waiting for the green signal from the Ministry of Environment and Forests to go ahead with expansion plans and to raise the capacity to 11 MMTP at its refinery in Mathura. “Pollution has managed to do what 350 years of wars, invasions and natural disasters have failed to do. It has begun to mar the magnificent walls of the Taj Mahal,” declared former US President Bill Clinton during his visit to this symbol of love in the city of Agra.
With this in mind, when I wrote to IOCL about the planned visit, it was not that surprising to receive their official refusal to host me. I decided to visit the township nevertheless one fine December 2009 morning. Mathura, just like any tier-II city in the country, has lately seen an upswing in real estate. In fact, the city has witnessed a lot of development on both the residential and commercial front. Various local and outstation players like Shri Group, Triveni, Suncity Projects, Space Buildwell, Tarang, Prabhatam Buildwell, et al, have shown interest in the city are building a number of projects here. The Mathura-Vrindavan Development Authority (MVDA) has been cashing in on the demand for affordable or low-income group housing by developing colonies of low-cost houses (Radha Puram, Krishna Puram, Chaitanya Vihar, Kailash Nagar) offering one bedroom flats for Rs.4 lakh and two bedroom flats for Rs.8-10 lakh. Even people from the cities who desire modern living in tranquil environs of Mathura-Vrindavan have fuelled the real estate boom in the mythical land of Lord Krishna. And as the spiritually inclined look for homes around pilgrimage centres, state-of the art townships are in the making in Mathura.
As there has been a total transformation of the retail real estate scene in the city, a number of families living in the Mathura refinery township have moved to the main city and have bought their own houses. The guard standing at the entrance of the township tells me, “The number of families residing at the township are less than half as compared to earlier times. Everyone has bought homes in the Mathura city.” Clearly, the people working at the refinery are now a worried lot. They feel that if the government clearance doesn’t come through, the work at the refinery will be affected. As such, after the commissioning of the Panipat Refinery, a lot of work has shifted there. And many families simply can’t afford to move as they have invested hugely in buying their own properties.
Read more.....
It was supposed to be a feather in IOCL’s cap when it was commissioned in 1982. Taking Nehru’s dream further, Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), India’s largest state-run petroleum products retailer, and India’s largest corporation had set up its sixth refinery in north India, to meet the growing demand of petroleum products in the region, particularly in the national capital region (NCR). Mathura refinery was started with an original capacity of 6 MMTP (which was later increased to 7.5 MMTP). Located strategically and advantageously between the capital city of Delhi and Agra, the refinery was situated in the mythological land of the birth place of Lord Krishna – Mathura. Along with the refinery, IOCL also helped set up a township called Mathura Refinery Nagar. The gated community comprised houses, a Kendriya Vidyalaya school, a hospital, a community centre, a number of parks, et al.
But over the last few years, the refinery has been plagued with concerns raised by environmental protection groups with regard to its expansion plans. In the early 1980s, a 55 kilometre area around the historic Taj Mahal was declared as Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) to protect the monument from pollution. The TTZ area was later increased to 10,400 sq km after the Supreme Court gave a ruling on December 30, 1996 in favour of a PIL that was seeking to protect the Taj Mahal from environmental pollution. As the refinery is barely 50 kilometers away from the historical monument of Taj Mahal, environmental groups are up in arms claiming the sulfur-dioxide emissions has already caused tremendous damage to the seventeenth-century monument, and any further expansion of the refinery will only make it worse. IOCL is still waiting for the green signal from the Ministry of Environment and Forests to go ahead with expansion plans and to raise the capacity to 11 MMTP at its refinery in Mathura. “Pollution has managed to do what 350 years of wars, invasions and natural disasters have failed to do. It has begun to mar the magnificent walls of the Taj Mahal,” declared former US President Bill Clinton during his visit to this symbol of love in the city of Agra.
With this in mind, when I wrote to IOCL about the planned visit, it was not that surprising to receive their official refusal to host me. I decided to visit the township nevertheless one fine December 2009 morning. Mathura, just like any tier-II city in the country, has lately seen an upswing in real estate. In fact, the city has witnessed a lot of development on both the residential and commercial front. Various local and outstation players like Shri Group, Triveni, Suncity Projects, Space Buildwell, Tarang, Prabhatam Buildwell, et al, have shown interest in the city are building a number of projects here. The Mathura-Vrindavan Development Authority (MVDA) has been cashing in on the demand for affordable or low-income group housing by developing colonies of low-cost houses (Radha Puram, Krishna Puram, Chaitanya Vihar, Kailash Nagar) offering one bedroom flats for Rs.4 lakh and two bedroom flats for Rs.8-10 lakh. Even people from the cities who desire modern living in tranquil environs of Mathura-Vrindavan have fuelled the real estate boom in the mythical land of Lord Krishna. And as the spiritually inclined look for homes around pilgrimage centres, state-of the art townships are in the making in Mathura.
As there has been a total transformation of the retail real estate scene in the city, a number of families living in the Mathura refinery township have moved to the main city and have bought their own houses. The guard standing at the entrance of the township tells me, “The number of families residing at the township are less than half as compared to earlier times. Everyone has bought homes in the Mathura city.” Clearly, the people working at the refinery are now a worried lot. They feel that if the government clearance doesn’t come through, the work at the refinery will be affected. As such, after the commissioning of the Panipat Refinery, a lot of work has shifted there. And many families simply can’t afford to move as they have invested hugely in buying their own properties.
Read more.....
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
Prof. Rajita Chaudhuri's Website
domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs
Arindam Chaudhuri's Portfolio - he is at his candid best by Society Magazine
IIPM Best B School India
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM's Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri - A Man For The Society....
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
IIPM B-School Detail
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
Prof. Rajita Chaudhuri's Website
domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs
Arindam Chaudhuri's Portfolio - he is at his candid best by Society Magazine
IIPM Best B School India
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM's Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri - A Man For The Society....
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
IIPM B-School Detail
