By Anurjay Dhal
RAJKANIKA/ KENDRAPARA (ODISHA): Union Minister of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Steel, Dharmendra Pradhan was on Saturday held a meeting with senior officials of Odisha, CMD National Aluminium Company Limited – NALCO , CMD Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation and representatives of Industrial Promotion & Investment Corporation of Odisha, to discuss the way forward in ensuring expeditious completion of Angul Aluminium Park.
Senior IAS officers of Odisha Government including Hemanta Sharma, Sanjay Singh, Nitin Jawale, Raghuji and NALCO, CMD, Sridhar Patra talked with Union Minister of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Steel, Dharmendra Pradhan on expeditious completion of Angul Aluminium Park.
“Held a meeting with senior officials of Govt. of Odisha, CMD National Aluminium Company Limited – NALCO , CMD Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation and representatives of Industrial Promotion & Investment Corporation of Odisha, to discuss the way forward in ensuring expeditious completion of Angul Aluminium Park,” the PNG-Steel Minister said.
“The Aluminium Park will enhance the industrial competitiveness of the aluminium industry, help in creation of aluminium clusters, create job opportunities, further develop the mineral sector, boost the state’s economy & contribute to the overall vision of an #AatmaNirbhar India. Union Government under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi ji is committed to the development of Odisha and welfare of its people. The Angul Aluminium Park will further support downstream industries based on aluminium and will encourage investment, job creation and entrepreneurship in Odisha,” Pradhan added.
It may be not here that earlier in January this year, Pradhan had thanked Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal for allowing restarting the project for up-gradation of infrastructure at Angul Aluminium Park.
Aluminium Cluster was to come up with the objective of enhancing industrial competitiveness of the aluminum industry by providing quality infrastructure facility in the cluster which has the potential to become globally competitive.
Pradhan had took up the issue with Goyal in the wake of the latter’s reply to the Rajya Sabha on 29 November 2019 when Apex Committee of the MIIUS has decided to drop the project due to slow progress.
The project for upgradation of infrastructure at the park was accorded final approval on 18 August, 2015 with an estimated cost of Rs.99.6 crore including central grant of Rs.33.44 crore under MIIUS with a duration of two years implementation period from the date of approval.
Special Purpose Vehicle- Angul Aluminium Park Private Limited (AAPPL) was constituted for the implementation of the Project.But the Apex Committee decided to drop the project due to its slow progress and directed AAPPL to refund the released Central grant.
