Centre to revive closed fertiliser plants

New Delhi, July 31 (UNI) The Centre will revive eight state-run fertiliser plants lying closed in seven states whose property the NDA government wanted to sell, Fertilisers and Chemicals Minister Ram Vilas Paswan today said.

A decision to revive the plants has been taken by the Fertilisers Ministry, which would submit the proposal to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, Mr Paswan told the Lok Sabha.

''The previous NDA government had wanted to sell the property of these fertiliser plants. But we are committed to reviving them as per the Common Minimum Programme,'' he said during Question Hour.

An Inter-Ministerial Committee is also looking into the proposal to revive the plants located in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisagarh, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Orissa and Jharkhand, he added.

The Fertiliser Corporation of India plants slated for revival include those in Haldia, Barauni, Sindri, Korba, Ramagundam, Talchar and Gorakhpur.

The Fertilisers Ministry was talking to the Petroleum Ministry for supply of the gas fuel required for running the plants, Mr Paswan said.

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