Sponge iron units in Orissa urged to adopt clean technology

The industry minister Raghunath Mohanty today asked the sponge iron units to adopt clean, green and sustainable technologies in their production process while assuring to look into various problems faced by them.

“The government is interested in sustainable development and wouldn’t compromise with ecology and people related issues. Therefore, we should focus on clean, green and sustainable technologies”, he said.

Addressing the gathering on the occasion of 6th annual general meeting of the Orissa Sponge Iron Manufacturers’ Association (OSIMA), the minister said, India is the largest sponge iron producing country in the world and Orissa is the top producer of sponge iron among the states.

Stating that there are 104 sponge iron units in Orissa, the minister said, they have some problems, which will be looked into by the government.

Presenting the demands of the association, Pradipta Mohanty, chairman, OSIMA said, there should be assured supply of iron ore from Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC). The state government may consider allocating small mines to the sponge iron units on a cluster basis.

Similarly, he urged the state government to initiate measures for 100 percent coal linkage of appropriate grade coal. While there should be uniform transportation policy, infrastructure development should be taken up by the government on a priority basis. That apart, the government needs to take expeditious measures for land, water and power allocation.