JSW Steel's West Bengal steel and power project on 'hold'.

JSW Steel has put its West Bengal steel and power plant on 'hold' over uncertainty of raw material linkages for the proposed Rs. 35,000 crore project.

'We have put the project on hold. Without both raw material (coal and iron-ore) it is very difficult to go ahead with the project,' JSW Steel Chairman and Managing Director Sajjan Jindal said here today on the sidelines of inauguration of Ispat Pragati Bhavan of Insdag.

He said as JSW Bengal has already invested Rs 700 crore into the project at Salboni, in West Midnapur, it was keen about the project but given the unclear situation about coal and iron-ore it was not practical to go ahead with the project.

JSW Bengal currently do not have either coal or iron-ore linkages for the Salboni project.

However, Jindal said they will bid for the three coal mines, if put on auction, which were offered by the West Bengal government agencies for the proposed 10 million tonne integrated steel plant.

ET