August 10,
Karnataka aims to permanently ban Iron ore exports to conserve the raw material for steel makers such as ArcelorMittal, which will be given land for a plant this month, Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa told on Monday.
He also said that land acquisition for the planned ArcelorMittal steel plant in the mineral-rich Bellary district of the state was almost complete and they did not require 4 yrs to start, they could start earlier.
The government aims to raise steel production to 120 million tonnes by 2011/12 from an estimated 64.88 million tonnes in 2009/10, and there has been increasing pressure from political leaders and the steel lobby to conserve Iron ore for local use.
It also aims to raise its own steel output to 40 million tonnes in the next three to four years from the current 12 million tonnes.
However, the state’s Iron ore output this year is likely to fall to 35-40 million tonnes, the chief minister said, from 45 million in 2009, because of the ban on exports.
Other companies that signed memorandums of understanding with the state in June for steel plants include POSCO, Bhushan Steel Ltd and Surya Vijaynagar Steel & Power.
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