Bhubaneswar: Chairman of Jindal Steel & Power Ltd (JSPL) Naveen Jindal Saturday urged Odisha Chief Secretary Asit Kumar Tripathy that steel plant companies in the state should be given preference in iron ore auction.
Jindal met Tripathy and secretaries of Steel & Mines, Industry at the Lok Seva Bhawan (Secretariat) and discussed on the matter. “Companies which have invested thousands of crores in steel plants and have created employment in thousands should be given preference in iron ore auction. We have requested for giving Iron ore mines first for captive consumption and then for merchant mining,” said Jindal.
He also added that JSPL invested Rs 47,000 crore in Odisha to set up largest steel plant in the state. Adding further he said, it has very small mines, which is near depleted. It does not have captive iron ore and coal mines for the plant.
He also informed that JSPL buys about 1 Million Tonne Iron Ore every month in Odisha. “This Makes JSPL the largest buyer of iron ore in the State”.
He also demanded for reduction in iron ore price because of fall in global steel price. “Steel price has been reduced by about 30 per cent. But Iron ore price has not been reduced accordingly. There is no reduction in price of Coal by Coal India. The government needs to ensure that people who have invested in the State are taken care of,” Jindal said.
For the first time in the world, JSPL has set up a coal gasification plant along with a 2 MTPA DRI Plant on the basis of the coal block allotted to it in Angul. Since the Coal block was cancelled by Supreme Court, Jindal was hopeful that the company would get coal block, if Government of India auctions the coal block for steel companies and Coal Gasification.
Jindal also requested for raw material security to the steel plants. “Our investment in Odisha needs raw material security to become viable,” he added.
