Essar Steel shareholders offer to pay Rs 54,389 cr to clear all dues of lenders

Shareholders of embattled Essar Steel Thursday offered to pay an aggregate of Rs 54,389 crore including Rs 47,507 crore upfront cash payment to clear all dues owned to lenders so that the company can be pulled out of insolvency proceedings.

The proposal was made as the Committee of Essar Steel Creditors voted on a takeover offer made by the world's largest steel maker ArcelorMittal.

"The shareholders of Essar Steel have today (Thursday) submitted a proposal to the Committee of Creditors (CoC) for full settlement of the entire admitted claims of the financial creditors, operational creditors, and workmen and employees of Essar Steel India Ltd (ESIL), aggregating Rs 54,389 crore, under Section 12A of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code," the company said in a statement.

The plan includes an upfront cash payment of Rs 47,507 crore to all creditors, including Rs 45,559 crore to the senior secured financial creditors. This would mean the secured financial creditors make full recovery of their dues.

"The CoC is empowered to consider and approve this Settlement Plan with the requisite voting share, on the basis of which the corporate insolvency resolution process against ESIL may be withdrawn," the statement said.