Mah. Govt. contemplating mining JV's in Vidarbha: Chavan

NAGPUR, Dec. 5 (UNI) The government was contemplating joint ventures in the mining sector in Vidarbha with public and private sector companies as part of the efforts to revive and strengthen the Maharashtra State Mining Corporation (MSMC), Minister for Industries Ashok Chavan said here today.

Speaking to newsmen shortly after the Government of Maharashtra signed memorandums of understanding (MoU) with two private-sector companies for their capacity expansion, Mr. Chavan said the JVs would be formed to exploit the rich deposits of iron ore, bauxite and manganese in Vidarbha.

The details of the proposal were being worked out at present, Chavan said.

Earlier, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and Chavan were present when V. K. Jairath, Secretary in the Department of Industries, signed two separate MoUs on behalf of the state government with Ispat Industries Limited and Manikgarh Cement.

Ispat Industries has signed an MoU for the proposed capacity expansion at its integrated steel plant at Dolvi in Raigad district from 3 million tonnes to 5 million tonnes per annum, estimated to cost Rs 2,000 crore. The expansion was expected to be completed in 18 months, Managing Director Vinod Mittal, who signed the MoU on behalf of the company, said. It was also expected to provide new direct and indirect employment to 10,000 persons, he said. The company plans to expand the capacity to 10 million tonnes later, he said.

Manikgarh Cement, a division of Century Textiles and Industries Limited of the B. K. Birla Group, signed the MoU for expanding the capacity of its cement plant at Gadchandur in Chandrapur district of Vidarbha from the existing 2 million tonnes to 5 million tonnes per annum. Wholetime Director B. L. Jain, who signed the MoU on behalf of the company, said there were plans to increase the capacity of the captive power plant at Gadchandur from 15 MW to 50 MW. The project is estimated to cost Rs 910 crore, he said.

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