NMDC targets 31 mn tonnes of Iron ore during 2007-08
Hyderabad,
Sept
2:
National
Mineral
Development
Corporation
(NMDC)
Chairman
and
Managing
Director
B
Ramesh
Kumar
announced
that
the
NMDC
has
targetted
to
produce
31
million
tonnes
of
Iron
ore
during
this
year.
Addressing a press conference here last night, Mr Kumar said the company has targetted to sell 31 to 32 million tonne of iron ore and 2.5 million tonne exports during 2007-08.
Stating that the there was a proposal to lay a broad guage rail link to Rowghat and extend the same to Jagdalpur to meet iron ore requirement of Bhilai Steel Plant, he said the total cost of the project was Rs 970 crore. Out of this SAIL would allocate Rs 141 crore, while NMDC will provide Rs 70 crore. The remaining cost would be met by the Indian railways.
Chattisgarh would allocate land for the proposed rail link. The first phase would connect Dalli-Rajhara with Rowghat (95 km) and the second phase Rowghat and Jagdalpur (140 km). A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between NMDC, SAIL, Indian railways and Chattigarh Government would be signed in this regard soon, he said.
The NMDC had suffered Rs 115 crore loss duo to Naxal attack on the Bailadila iron ore mines in 2006 and Rs 90 crore in 2007, he said, adding the NMDC decided to set up a sponge Iron plant of one lakh tonnes per annum with a 10 MW power plant at Nagarnar.
UNI