Centre advises Orissa to meet Posco, ArcelorMittal

At the advice of the Centre, the Orissa government is convening a meeting this week with Posco and ArcelorMittal to resolve issues like land acquisition and mining leases which are blocking Rs 1 lakh crore investment plans by the two global steel giants in the state.

“We have requested the state government. They are calling the meeting...The issues hurting the two projects would be discussed,” Steel Secretary P K Rastogi said.

The meeting in Bhuba-neswar is likely be held on October 23 and would be chaired by the State Chief Secretary, T K Mishra.

Senior officials of the Union Steel Ministry would also be present. Collectors from Keonjhar and Jagatsinghpur, the proposed locations of the ArcelorMittal and Posco projects respectively, have also been asked to attend the meeting, Rastogi said.

After ArcelorMittal threatened earlier this month to abandon its over Rs 80,000-crore steel projects in Orissa and Jharkhand and move elsewhere in the country, the Centre had held talks with officials of the world's largest steel maker. Earlier, talks with Posco officials were also held.

Regulatory hurdles, including iron ore mining leases and protests over land acquisition have disappointed both ArcelorMittal and South Korean giant Posco.