The Statesman
Lift ban on sponge iron plants, OSIMA

Statesman News Service
ANGUL, Dec. 9: Orissa Sponge Iron Manufacturers Associations (OSIMA) has urged state government to lift ban on setting up new sponge unit as prolonging the ban would be a serious financial bearing on them.
The continuance of the ban has no meaning when Centre has now permitted sponge units having the investment of more than Rs 100 crore to open up new units or can go for expansion after taking the prior environmental clearance from central ministry of forest and environment, he added.
The ban imposed in 2005 by state on the expansion or for new unit on such industry which invested Rs 55,000 crore and pays about Rs 500 crore as revenue to state may lead the current 95 operating units across the state to red, feared the advisor of OSIMA NK Das. he occasion was presided over by Jay Bardhan Mishra, the president of Bhubaneswar region.
Besides the ban low quality coal and iron also come on the way of achieving desired capacity utilisation from the sponge manufacturing units in the state, Das added.
He also claimed that the existing 95 sponge manufacturers in the state can produce another 10 MT of steel in next three years in addition to its current production of seven MT per annum. Jay Bardhan Mishra, president of Bhubaneswar region. OSIMA expressed concern over arbitrary closure of sponge units on the issue of environment. He said his industries would adopt any technology provided by state pollution control Board to curb pollution by their sponge units. Pointing out lack of infrastructure support by government to these industries he urged the government to address some of the basic problems of the industries like availability of dump yard, good transport facilities, and level playing field with steel companies.