State will buy Nagarnar Steel plant in case of disinvestment: Chhattisgarh CM

Raipur: A unanimous resolution has been passed in the Chhattisgarh legislative assembly that the state government would buy the Nagarnar Steel Plant of Bastar, would it be considered for disinvestment.

"The question is about the identity of Chhattisgarh and the feelings of the tribals of Bastar,'' says Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) had agreed in November 2016 to sell 51 per cent of Nationa Minerals Development Corporation (NMDC) Nagarnar Steel Plant to a private player. The Chief Minister had written to the PM saying if this was to happen it would become difficult to control Naxalite activities.

"Around 637 acres of government land and 1506 acres of private land have been used for this plant. The tribals gave land on the condition that public enterprises be set up here. Repeated objections were also lodged by the asset advisor, the legal advisor to the Government of India, that the plant should not be sold,'' says Baghel.

Nagarnar Steel Plant is a greenfield project where a 3 MTPA capacity plant is nearing completion. It is 16 km away from Jagdalpur and was made with an estimated outlay of Rs 21,500 crore.

The estimated time period for completing the project was four years, which is already overrun by four and half years as of now.

Construction work for the project is in progress and around 95 per cent of the civil work and 95 per cent structural erection, 90 per cent of equipment erection have been completed.

It is likely to roll out the first HR coils from the plant by July 2021. As a precursor to commissioning of the Coke Oven Battery power has been switched on for the coal handling system including the stacker reclaimer to start commissioning of the coal route of Raw Materials Handling System.

The 220KV GIS (Gas Insulated Switch) main receiving sub-station was started in March 2018, followed by power supply to the Sinter Plant.

The power sub-station packages that will be activated subsequently are the Raw Material Handling Plant, Coke Oven, Blast Furnace, Steel Melting Shop, Hot Strip Mill, Lime and Dolomite Calcination Plant and

Railway Yard.