Ayyankuzhi Families Vacate Lodge After BPCL-KR Agrees to Pay Rent

Around 30 families from Ayyankuzhi, India, vacated a lodge after BPCL-Kochi Refinery agreed to pay 5 months' rent. The families had been staying at the lodge since a fire on the refinery campus in July. BPCL-KR initially funded their accommodation but stopped paying rent in August, claiming it was a temporary arrangement. The refinery also agreed to discuss the families' long-standing demand for land acquisition.