AfricaPress-Tanzania: TANZANIA Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) issued 128.9m/-compensation to 19 Nzinje villagers who relocated for the construction of an oil and natural gas storage facility.
A dummy cheque was handed over to Dodoma District Commissioner (DC), Patrobas Katambi at the weekend, thus paving way for the national oil company to start the construction of facilities in the Central Zone.
Handing over the cheque, TPDC Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr James Mataragio, said the move was in line with their task to bring services close to the community.
He said the storage facility that will be constructed adjacent to the Standard Gauge Railway is meant to ensure there is enough reserve as well as serve neighbouring regions.
“We will have infrastructure where oil and natural gas reserve tanks will be filled with the products that will be transported from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma through the standard gauge rail,” said Dr Mataragio.
He commended the villagers for their willingness to relocate for the construction of the storage facility as it has great socioeconomic benefit for the nation and their improved social welfare.
Dr Mataragio said they would work close with the villagers near the project as they were key partners to make the whole project a success.
For his part, Mr Katambi called on the villagers to ensure there was no sabotage and if one intended to do so should be reported immediately.
He also cautioned the villagers not to resell their compensated plots to other people.
The DC urged the villagers to take care of the project since they would benefit from it in a number of issues in terms of corporate social responsibility from TPDC.
Earlier, Dodoma Urban MP, who is also DEPUTY Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (Policy, Parliamentary Affairs, Labour, Employment, Youth and People with Disabilities), Anthony Mavunde urged the villagers to use the money to start investment projects.
“Invest the money as there are a lot of opportunities that you can utilise.
Spend the money for your socioeconomic projects,” he advised.
Mr Mavunde urged TPDC to engage the community in manual work and other employment opportunities that did not require skills so that they could own the project.
