By Anurjay Dhal
BHUBANESWAR: Union PNG-Steel Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday urged the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal to not drop the project for upgradation of infrastructure at Angul Aluminium Park in Odisha. In a letter to Goyal, Pradhan said “I am writing to seek your personal intervention to re-start project for upgradation of infrastructure at Angul Aluminium Park in Odisha,”
“As you would be aware under the MIIUS notified by the DPIIT, a project for upgradation of infrastructure at Angul Aluminium Park in Odisha was accorded approval on 18-8-2015 with a project cost of Rs 99.60 crore including a Central grant of Rs 33.44 crore. The implemneting agency for the said project was constituted as AAPPL. The apex committee of MIIUS in its meeting held on 1-11-2018 decided to drop the project due to the low progress of the project and directed AAPPL to refund the released Central grant,” the letter said.
“Keeping in mind our Government’s commitment to develop the mineral sector in Odisha and boost the State’s economy, I request your personal intervention in directing officials of your Ministry to undertake a renew of the work done so far and re start the project for urgradation of infrastructure at AAP with a needed focus on ironing out bottlenecks for an expeditious completion of the project,” Pradhan urged.
Few days back, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha said that the project for upgradation of infrastructure at Angul Aluminum Park in Odisha has been dropped due to dismal progress, said Implementing agency Angul Aluminium Park Private Limited (AAPPL) informed that there was no progress in the project due to resentment among locals. Also, Project Management Agency (PMA), on physical verification of the project, reported that overall physical progress was about 7%, Goyal said.
Hence, the Apex Committee in its meeting held on November 1, last year decided to drop the project due to dismal progress of the project and directed the concerned implementing agency to refund the released central grant, he said.
The upgradation project was accorded final approval in 2015 with project cost of Rs 99.6 crore including central grant of Rs 33.44 crore under Modified Industrial Infrastructure Upgradation Scheme(MIIUS) with a duration of 2 years implementation period of the project from the date of approval.
However, a proposal from the State Government of Odisha to restore central assistance to the Odisha Aluminium Cluster at Angul under the Modified Industrial Infrastructure Upgradation Scheme (MIIUS) has been received. This proposal will be placed before the Apex Committee, the minister added.
