PARADIP: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi will inaugurate the JSW integrated steel plant at Dhinkia near Paradip on Wednesday, marking the culmination of nearly 21 years of protests, legal hurdles and delays.
The Jagatsinghpur administration has made elaborate arrangements for the programme. Sources said the chief minister will inaugurate the mega greenfield integrated steel plant being developed on the erstwhile POSCO project site with an investment of around Rs 65,000 crore and a production capacity of 13.2 million tonnes per annum (MTPA). JSW Steel chairman Sajjan Jindal is also expected to attend the ceremony.
During the event, the chief minister will lay the foundation stones for several associated units, including the coke oven, steel melting shop, blast furnace and sinter plant. Authorities of JSW Steel have stepped up preparations for the commencement ceremony as the long-pending project finally moves toward operationalisation after years of resistance from several groups.
The plant will include captive power facilities and cargo-handling jetties. The Industrial Development Corporation of Odisha (IDCO) has handed over around 2,958 acres of land to the company, with nearly 30 per cent of the project area earmarked for the preservation of forests and water bodies.
Notably, the project site was originally allotted to South Korean steel giant POSCO, which had signed an MoU with the Odisha government in 2005 to establish a 12 MTPA steel plant near Paradip. However, fierce opposition from villagers and environmental activists stalled the project for over a decade. Protesters raised concerns over displacement, environmental damage and loss of livelihood for farmers and fisherfolk.
Continued resistance from local villagers and activists eventually forced the company to suspend and later scrap the project altogether. Following POSCO’s withdrawal, the acquired land was transferred to JSW Utkal Steel Limited in 2017 for development of the present project.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that some villagers of Trilochanpur, who are yet to receive compensation, are planning to stage protests during the inauguration. In response, local BJP leaders have camped in Dhinkia and nearby villages to persuade residents to maintain peace and support the industrial project in the interest of regional development.
