Bhubaneswar: BJP and BJD on Monday locked horns over the status of a proposed steel plant by ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel (AMNS) after the opposition party claimed the company may shift the project to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. Slamming BJD’s allegation, industry minister Sampad Swain said the project was not going anywhere and claimed it was an attempt by the opposition to spread misinformation.
Earlier in the day, senior BJD leader and former minister Pratap Jena said owing to the ineffective govt in the state, the proposed plant may move out of Odisha.
“Former chief minister Naveen Patnaik went to Japan to discuss the steel plant with Nippon chairman. The world’s biggest steel plant, which was supposed to be set up in Kendrapada, will now go to AP,” Jena told the media.
He further said that another project, JSW’s electric vehicle factory, which was proposed to be set up at an investment of Rs 40,000 crore, was shifted to Maharashtra after the BJP govt came to power.
Rubbishing the allegations, Swain said all those companies that had shelved their projects during the tenure of the previous govt are now coming back and are keen to set up industry here.
“Misinformation is being served to the people of Odisha by the BJD. There is no truth in BJD’s claim of AMNS leaving its Odisha projects,” Swain said.
He further clarified that the govt has had meetings with AMNS several times. “The truth is that the previous govt was slow in taking the project forward, whereas we have fast-forwarded it. Moreover, the company is already imparting skill development training to 60 local diploma holders of Marsaghai block in Kendrapada district,” Swain said.
Company sources said the project work is going as per schedule. “We are engaging with some state governments to evaluate possibilities that align with our business for long-term strategic goals. It does not change our existing project plans,” AMNS said in a statement. In April last year, the then BJD govt had signed an MoU with AMNS to set up a mega steel project in the state.