Public hearing on proposed JSW Steel plant passes off peacefully

Bhubaneswar: The public hearing for Jindal Steel Works’ Rs 53,700 crore project named Utkal Steel Limited, was concluded peacefully in the Kujang block of Jagatsingpur district of Odisha on Friday, said a statement on Saturday.

The proposed steel plant is on the same site where the Korean steel giant POSCO’s project was envisaged.

The success of this public hearing paves way for the establishment of an Integrated steel plant of 12.0 MTPA capacity, 10 MTPA Cement plant and a 900-megawatt captive power plant by the Sajjan Jindal-led group, on an area 2980 acres, the statement said.

An all-weather multi-cargo greenfield jetty with handling capacity of 52 MTPA is also part of the project.

This development is important for the reason that it is the same region where POSCO’s steel project had to face resistance from locals. The erstwhile opponents of the POSCO project have also welcomed the JSW project now, demanding an ideal rehabilitation and resettlement package from the state govt.

This peaceful public hearing is an epoch-making event as far as the public perception about industrialization in the state of Odisha is concerned. This has been a possible because of relentless persuasive efforts by the state government and the industry proponents and has set an example for other states.

This development will also help dispel the prevailing misconceptions about this region and with a major port in the vicinity the Paradip in Odisha is poised for diversified industrial growth.

This development is another feather in the cap for Odisha after it edged past Maharashtra as the most attractive destination for investments during H1 or the April-September period of FY20 by cornering 18 per cent of the virgin investments drawn by all states as per the report of the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE).