No dwellings, public roads will be disturbed: Tata

Chennai, July 26 (UNI) Tata Steels, which had entered into an MoU with the Tamil Nadu government for setting up a Rs 2500 crore Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) Project in Tuticorin district, today assured that the project would not disturb any existing dwellings, religious places or public roads.

Reacting to opposition to the project by local people and some political parties in the state, Tata Steels, in a release here said, ''the residents in the area will continue to live without any disturbance due to this project.'' It said the project would require 10,000 acre of land, of which only less than five per cent would be wetland, it said adding that the lands would be acquired at the market rates.

The success of the project would make Tamil Nadu an attractive investment destination and would improve the socio-economic conditions of the people in the less developed region of southern Tamil Nadu.

The reserves of Titanium mineral can be extracted in a scientific manner by the use of world class technology without any adverse environmental impact, it said.

Tata Steel had over 100 years of excellent track record in steel making, mining of ore and coal, beneficiation of minerals, environmental protection and social development.

Due to non-availability of water and sandy nature of soil, the potential of farming was limited.

The company would develop the mined out land and improve the vegetation cover of the area. ''The project activity will make the entire area greener,'' it said.

Tata Steel had already initiated activities to study the plantation of suitable trees and crops on the reclaimed land with the help of renowned agricultural university and experts, it said.

As the Project area falls in the rain shadow region, with poor ground water and unavailability of river water, the company had decided to go for desalination plant at an additional cost.

Neither ground water nor river water would be used as process water for the project, it said.

The project site being far away from the sea, there would not be any seawater incursion. The sand contains only 10 per cent minerals, the balance 90 per cent would be put back on the mined out area, after extraction of minerals.

UNI