With
the validity period of the MoUs signed with 45 steel Companies have already
been expired, the Odisha government has started a fresh verification of the
progress of the projects from today.
The
projects whose MoU periods have been expired include mega projects like POSCO,
Arcellor-Mittal, Jindal Steel and Power, Tata Steel, Bhushan Steel and Essar
steel. All the 45 companies had applied for renewal of the MoUs and the state
government had directed Industrial Production and Investment Corporation ltd. (IPICOL)
to submit a report after reviewing the progress of the projects. Subsequently,
IPICOL has constituted 3 committees with members from steel and Mines Department, Revenue,Forest, Environment & State Pollution Control Board,
for field verification of the progress of the Projects. The 3 committees have
started inspecting various projects situated in Districts like
Jajpur,Keonjhar,Angul,Dhenkanal,Sambalpur & Cuttack from today.On the
basis of the reports IPICOL will recommend state government for renewal of MoU.
As
per some sources, IPICOL may not recommend for renewal of some MoUs who have
not made any progress till date. The renewal of the MoUs will be done on the
basis of the new guidelines that the state government had formulated on 15th
of January. As per the guidelines grant of further time or extension of
validity of MoU may be considered in respect of deserving cases, the new
guidelines will consider companies which have fulfilled their part of
obligations as per the MoU or have made best efforts towards establishment of
the project.
The
January guidelines has also said that the state government will no longer give
any fresh assurance on supply of raw materials to steel companies in the
revised MoUs to be signed with those
steel makers whose earlier Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) validity
period have already expired.
Edited by Tapan Moharana
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