SAIL plans to take over assets of Sindri fertilizer factory

SINDRI: Steel Authority of India Ltd. (SAIL) is contemplating to take over the assets of the closed Sindri fertilizer factory.
Though no official of the Bokaro Steel Plant is ready to say anything on record, a team of senior officials of the plant led by managing director (MD) V K Srivastava visited Sindri to take stock of the ground realities and prepare a detailed proposal for submitting it to the minister of steel, who, in turn, would take up the matter with the ministry of fertilizers.
According to highly-placed sources, SAIL has not been able to execute its expansion plan because of land acquisition problems at Manoharpur. However, it is frantically looking for an alternate site to establish a 3 million tonne per annum steel plant.
The closed Sindri fertilizer factory with 6654 acres of freehold land and infrastructural facilities like water, power and road and rail links is being considered by SAIL as an ideal site since it is located just two-hour drive away from Bokaro. Moreover, the location of the colliery division of SAIL subsidiary IISCO in the vicinity is an added attraction.
The Bokaro Steel MD, along with GM (CET) S C Jain, technical secretary to MD Ram Gopal, DGM (project) A K Singh and senior manager (project) P K Singh, visited Sindri on Sunday to assess the possibility of establishing the steel plant at Sindri. The officials went around the plant area and visited different locations to assess the capacity of the water and power supply systems. They also took details of the land allocated to different plants and available facilities besides seeking details of the barren land, residential areas and other civic facilities in the township.
The sources said that the SAIL authorities are likely to submit a proposal to the ministry of steel this week for taking over the assets of the Sindri fertilizer factory.
The visit of the Bokaro Steel authorities has given rise to different kinds of discussions in the township. Though elated over the possibility of SAIL taking over the assets, the residents of the town are a bit sceptical about the government's move to allow opening of a steel plant at a time when the nation is more concerned about the declining agricultural production and huge expenses being incurred on import of urea.
In such a situation, opening of a steel plant along with a urea plant would be the best option, said Deepak Kumar, BJP leader and secretary of the Sindri chamber of commerce.
When contacted over phone, the officials of the visiting team, including Ram Gopal, A K Singh and P K Singh, said it was too early to say anything on the issue as they are yet to get go-ahead from their corporate office and the ministry concerned.