VISAKHAPATNAM: Seven more firms, including two international players from the United States and Indonesia, submitted an Expression of Interest (EoI) invited by RINL (Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited) as the five-day extended deadline ended on Thursday.
However, Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), through which the Telangana government wanted to submit an EoI, did not file a bid. Reasons for the same were not known immediately. Telangana government’s interest to participate in the EoI had generated a lot of buzz as it received an overwhelming response from employees of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and flak from ruling party leaders in Andhra Pradesh.
According to sources, coal from SCCL would not be suitable for steel production and its boiler coal can be used only in at VSP’s thermal power plant. It may be recalled that on March 27, the corporate entity of the Steel Plant had called for bids to fund its working capital or provide key raw materials (like coking coal/blast furnace coke, iron ore) against supply of its steel as per mutually agreed terms and conditions.
The previous deadline for submitting EoIs was April 15. However, it was extended by five days after the Public Sector Enterprise (PSE) received bids from 22 companies, including five international players from Ukraine, Switzerland, Dubai and USA.
Speaking to TNIE, chairman of Visakha Ukku Parirakshana Porata Committee D Adinarayana said SCCL did not submit an EoI, but the mere announcement of their interest in participating in the bid gave a much-needed fillip to their 790-day-old agitation.
Porata committee convener J Ayodhya Ram said the blast furnace, which has a capacity to produce 25 lakh liquid steel every year, was shut for the last 15 months due to lack of raw material. Further, he said though there was a huge response for EoIs due to confidence and trust in RINL, PSUs such as NMDC (National Mineral Development Corporation) and SAIL (Steel Authority of India) did not file bids.
Ram explained that tenders will most likely be called in the first week of May and those who did not submit EoIs can also participate. A high-level committee of four officials was constituted to shortlist the EoIs. The panel, comprising heads of departments of marketing, finance, works and materials management of RINL, will scrutinise the bids from Friday.
Meanwhile, former IPS Lakshmi Narayana wrote to the management of VSP, seeking to know whether the company would accept public donations as working capital.