Purulia: CM inaugurates Rs 4,500-cr steel plant
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today inaugurated an integrated steel plant worth Rs 4,500 crore in Raghunathpur in Purulia district, it being the first of its kind in the Jangalmahal region.
This marks a significant milestone during her tenure, aimed at bolstering job creation in the economically disadvantaged region.
The land predominantly consists of single-crop fields or infertile soil, limiting agricultural potential.
Many residents of Purulia currently seek employment in either neighboring West Burdwan, a thriving industrial hub, as factory labourers or as migrant workers in other states.
Shyam Steel Works Private Limited, a subsidiary of the Shyam Steel Group and a prominent secondary steel manufacturer, has committed to creating approximately 8,000 direct job opportunities once the plant reaches full operational capacity.
Spanning 600 acres at the Jangal Sundari Karmanagari, formerly known as Raghunathpur Industrial Park, of the WBIDC, the steel plant boasts a full capacity of 1.19 million tonnes per annum (mtpa).
Construction commenced in April last year, with an initial investment of Rs 1,500 crore.
Shyam Steel also operates three additional factories in neighboring West Burdwan’s Durgapur and Mejia in Bankura, collectively possessing a capacity of 2.84 mtpa, backed by an investment of Rs 2,000 crore.
During the Left regime, efforts were made to industrialize the then Maoist-affected Jangalmahal, including an initiative by Jindal Steel Works to establish a 10-million-tonne integrated steel plant on 4,700 acres at Salboni in West Midnapore. However, the project faced setbacks, leading to a significant downsizing of plans and ultimately a failure to materialise as a mega-industrial venture.
