The Nilachal Ispat Nigam Limited (NINL) coke oven plant is in dire need of coke and if due to raw material shortage it is forced to close down, then it will take another two years to reopen and the cost will be whopping Rs 500 crore!
Former Minister Finance, Prafulla Chandra Ghadai, who is founder of the Kalinga Nagar Majdoor Union, has revealed the precarious condition of NINL plant, on which at least 10,000 people are dependant both directly and indirectly.
The NINL coke oven and power plant units are now running at 40 per cent capacity with available Australian coke at NINL site.
With raw material shortage, the coke oven will run for 3-4 days. Unless the State Government intervenes, situation will go out of hand and if the plant is allowed to close down then it will be a Herculean task to reopen the facility, said he.
While MMTC is having about one lakh tons of Australian coke at Paradip Port, it is not shifting to plant in Kalinga Nagar, alleged Ghadei.
He said that if the Australian coke is not brought to the NINL site, then the coke oven plant will be closed down, resulting in a doomed future of the Central PSU, where the State Government is also having 27 per cent
stake. Under the backdrop, the State Government is needed to intervene immediately as situation is serious and the MMTC, the principal promoter, is not in a mood to help out NINL, alleged the former Minister Finance and Public Enterprises.
He said already the blast furnace, SMS, sinter plant and RMHS of NINL is closed down due to resources problem.
The NINL has requested for support of the State Government to run the plants. However, the State Administration is yet to take a decision in this regard.
In the meantime, as the Union Government has decided to go for strategic disinvestment of NINL, the State Government has concurred with the proposal and intimated its decision to the Centre.
Ghadei said the NINL plant should not be allowed to stop as it will not only harm the interest of 10,000 people, who are dependent on the plant, but also the State will lose heavily as its share values will
tumble.
In fact, Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy, while sending the ‘No Objection’ for strategic disinvestment of NINL, has urged the Union Government not to allow NINL plant to be closed down.
Now, the BJD veteran has also requested the State Government to impress upon the Union Government to run the plant and ask MMTC to send the Australian coke lying at Paradip Port to NINL site in Kalinga Nagar, so that the coke oven plant will have a breather period and will be able to run for longer time.
And he has urged the State Government to take up the issue with the Union Government to run the blast furnace, SMS, sinter plant and RMHS of NINL immediately.