PM to lay foundation stone for Jindal steel

Midnapur, Dec 26: Prime Minister Manmohon Singh will lay the foundation stone of Rs 35,000 crore project of Jindal Steel (JS) Works Bengal Steel Limited on January 30 at Salboni in West Midnapur, District Magistrate N S Nigam said today.

This might be the biggest investment in the state in this out going year. Meanwhile, 4000 acres of land, mostly Government Lands, had been acquired for the project, Rajesh Gupta, Vice President (Projects) said. There had been no opposition from any political party or farmers while acquiring private land, he added. The first phase of the project will be completed by January 11, 2008, he added. Direct employment in the first phase of the project would be about 3,000, while indirectly it would be about 6,000. Rs 2.7 lakh were given to the cultivators for each acre of land, Mr Gupta said.

Apart from giving compensation to each farmer, equivalent amount of shares have been distributed to them as free gift, the VP added.

Moreover one person in each land losers' family was assured a place in this project, he added.

The vice-president also emphasised the social involvement of the company in this project. Already a primary health clinic and mobile medical vans have started working in the area for treatment of inhabitants in 24 mouzas in the vicinity of which the project was being started.

UNI