The government of Haryana has approved acquiring 349 acres of panchayat land of three adjoining villages, Bal Jattan, Asan Kalan, and Khandra, for Indian Oil Corporation’s Panipat Refinery expansion.

The decision was made in a meeting held by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar along with Chief Secretary, of Development and Panchayat Department, Anil Malik, Director General, of Development and Panchayat Department, D K Behera, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister V Umashankar, Deputy Commissioner, Panipat, Virender Dahiya, representative of IOCL, Sarpanches of Asan Kalan and Khandra and Bal Jattan villages, was also present in the meeting.

According to an official statement, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd will acquire 140 acres of Asan Kalan village, 152 acres of Bal Jattan village, and 57 acres of Khandra.

The state-owned oil behemoth will pay Rs 10 lakh per acre for development works in the village in addition to the land cost.

Indian Oil Corporation Ltd has established its Refinery and Petrochemical complex in Panipat, spanning more than 4,200 acres.

The company has approached the Haryana government with a request to allot the company with 600 acres of land for expansion of the refinery, of which 349 acres of land have been allocated to the company by the government.