Steel plant on the anvil in Chhattisgarh

Kolkata, Apr 10 (UNI) The top brass of SAIL, RINL and NMDC would meet in Vizag in the next ten days to discuss modalities for setting up of a steel plant in Chhattisgarh.

RINL Chairman and Managing Director Y Siva Sagar Rao said here today that the proposed joint venture project with an estimated capacity of three million tonnes, was expected to involve an expenditure between Rs 300 and 400 crore.

Scouting for joint venture partners, National Mineral Development Corporation(NMDC) has been in talks with Steel Authority of India and Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited to put up the plant.

Speaking on the future projections of RINL, the flagship company of Vishakhapatnam Steel Plant, Mr.Rao said the company had targeted to increase its production to 16 million tonnes by 2020. "Once we cross the 12 million mark, we will go for flat production," he said.

RINL has embarked upon a capacity expansion at Vizag in line with the National Steel Policy envisaging production of 110 million tonnes per annum of steel in the country by 2019-20. It had invited bids for installation of a new third blast furnace to double its capacity to 6.5 MTPA of hot metal from the present level of 3.2 MTPA.

Setting its eyes on the highly potential rural market in the country, RINL had also targeted to augment the per capita steel consumption to four kg from the present two kg in Indian villages by 2020 by innovating high capacity bullock carts fitted with steel wheels besides designing low cost steel houses, the CMD said.

"We have designed bullock carts having much more carrying capacity than the conventional ones. These carts would be on display in village fairs and demonstrations would be made to the rural people. We have also designed small steel houses involving an estimated expenditure between Rs. 50,000 and 60,000 which are expected to attract the people," Mr Rao said.

UNI