Modi to inaugurate Talcher fertiliser plant, Jharsuguda airport in Odisha

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to launch half-a-dozen projects in Odisha Saturday, including a fertiliser plant at Talcher, and inaugurate Jharsuguda Airport and UDAN in the state.

Modi, who proceeded to Talcher after arriving here, will lay the foundation stone and commence work for the country's first coal gasification based fertiliser plant at Talcher in Angul district, officials said.

The fertiliser plant is being developed by Talcher Fertilisers Limited, a joint-venture of GAIL, Coal India Ltd, Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilisers Ltd and Fertiliser Corporation of India Ltd, they said.

The plant, to be commissioned by 2022, will ensure easy availability of urea in Odisha as there is no urea plant in the state.

During his one-day visit to the state, Modi will also dedicate to the nation mines of the NTPC and the Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd and railway tracks for transportation of coal.

Garjanbahal open cast mine of MCL, to be inaugurated by Modi, has coal block reserves of 230 million tonnes with annual production capacity of 13 million tonnes. It will generate direct employment opportunity for 894 people and indirect job opportunities for 5,000, officials said.

The prime minister will launch the 53.1-km Jharsuguda-Serdega railway line constructed by MCL, which can be used for passenger traffic.

Modi will dedicate to the nation Dulanga Coal Mining Project of NTPC in Sundargarh district. This is the second mine of the the state-run company to be operational and its first in Odisha.

Coal produced from this mine will be used in the under-construction 1600-MW Darlipali Super Thermal Power Plant of NTPC in Sundargarh district, the officials said.

On the new airport in Jharsuguda, the officials said it has been developed for all-weather operations, including night operations for A-320 type aircraft.

Jharsuguda will be the second airport of Odisha to be operational and provide connectivity to Bhubaneswar, Raipur and Ranchi under the central government's UDAN scheme.