Arcelor-Mittal to set up a Green Field project in Patna

Bhubaneswar: Arcelor- Mittal, which proposes to set up a Rs 40,000 crore and 12 million-tonne per annum greenfield steel project in Patna tehsil of the Keonjhar district said that its detail project report (DPR) for the plant will be ready before March 2008.

The DPR will include captive mining, captive power supply, water supply infrastructure and other facilities like townships for the company's employees.

Though the company had earlier stated that the DPR will be ready by June 2008, now it hopes the report will be finalized three months before the deadline.

A 20 member team from Luxemburg, France and Brazil is finalising the DPR and the team is expected to submit the DPR before March 2008, said Sudhir Maheswari, Arcelor-Mittal's executive vice-president and member of the management committee.

Talking to the media persons after meeting Orissa chief secretary Ajit Tripathy, he said, the project is progressing smoothly.

While the company had originally sought 1000 acres for the township, it has now scaled it down to 750 acres.

The company will set up the steel plant and the 750 Mw power plant over 7000 acres of land, he added.

Referring to the resistance of the local people to the steel project, he said, the company will talk directly to the people and will not allow any gap to develop between the people and the company.

Official sources said, the company officials have told the government to expedite the mining lease for the project.

The project is expected to create direct employment for 5,500 persons and indirect employment for 15,000 persons.

Meanwhile, the next meeting of the steering committee formed by the Orissa government to expedite the project work and headed by Orissa chief secretary is scheduled to meet in February.

It will take stock of the progress of the project made so far.

The company signed MoU with the Orissa government in December 2006 for setting up a steel plant at an investment of about Rs 40,000 crore.