Protest against Jindal Steel, Hindalco projects in Jharkhand

October 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Prolonged delays in acquiring land for industrial projects could endanger potential investments worth $100 billion in India, according to an industry lobby report. "Delays in land acquisition procedures for industrial projects are threatening to endanger investments worth $100 billion all over the country in near term," said the report of the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham).

October 5th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR/RANCHI - A day after a noted British paper said steel giant ArcelorMittal was close to pulling out its proposed steel projects in Jharkhand and Orissa, the states Monday said they had not received any communication in this regard. "I have no information on that.

October 5th, 2009 RANCHI - A day after a noted British paper said steel giant ArcelorMittal was close to pulling out of its proposed steel projects in Jharkhand and Orissa, the Jharkhand government Monday said it had not received any communication from the steel maker in this regard. "We have no information that ArcelorMittal is planning to wind up its greenfield steel project in the state," Jharkhand Industries Secretary N.N.

September 17th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - The Orissa government, which Thursday reviewed the progress of 14 greenfield projects underway in the state, said most of the companies setting up these projects have not completed land acquisition. "Acquiring land is the biggest problem before these mega projects.

August 19th, 2009 RANCHI - Ten employees of a Hindalco plant in Jharkhand, abducted by a splinter group of the banned Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoists) two days ago, were freed Wednesday, police said. "All the abducted employees and labourers of the Hindalco company were rescued after police exerted pressure on the rebels.

August 18th, 2009 RANCHI - An operation has been launched to rescue ten employees and labourers of Hindalco company, abducted by Maoist rebels from Jharkhand's Gumla district, police said Tuesday. Ten employees and workers of Hindalco were abducted Monday night from Tetarpani village of Gumla district, around 145 km from Ranchi.

August 4th, 2009 RANCHI - Steel projects worth Rs.125,940 crore ($26.4 billion) are hanging in the balance in Jharkhand as the state government is yet to give approvals to them, an industry lobby report said Tuesday. The report by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham), said: "Steel players like ArcelorMittal, Tata Steel and others are waiting for different forms of clearances for the last four years, which otherwise should have been cleared in two years." Releasing the report at a seminar here, Assocham secretary general D.S.

July 29th, 2009 MUMBAI - Jindal Steel and Power Wednesday reported a 25 percent dip in net profit to Rs.300 crore for the first quarter this fiscal as compared to Rs.402.3 crore in the same period last year. The total income decreased 16 percent to Rs.1,592.6 crore from Rs.1,902.7 crore, the company said in a regulatory statement.

July 9th, 2009 NEW DELHI - State-run steelmaker Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) Thursday announced its SAIL HR Excellence Awards for seven Indian manufacturing firms including Tata Motors and Jindal Steel. The SAIL has instituted the award to commemorate its 50th year of production.

June 25th, 2009 MUMBAI - JSW Steel vice chairman and managing director Sajjan Jindal has been conferred the Willy Korf/Ken Iverson Steel Vision Award for his contribution to the steel industry, the company said in a statement Thursday. Jindal is the second Indian to receive the honour.

May 6th, 2009 JAMSHEDPUR - Industrial Energy Ltd (IEL), a joint venture between Tata Steel and Tata Power, Wednesday commissioned a 120-MW power plant that will run on waste gas produced by the steel major. The plant, built at an investment of Rs.490 crore, will supply the entire generated power to Tata Steel to help the company meet its growing power requirements in its Jamshedpur unit, an official statement said.

April 22nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - JSW Steel, one of the leading steel makers in the country, will invest Rs.3,000 crore in 2009-10 to expand its production capacity, a top official said here Wednesday. 'We are planning to invest Rs.3,000 crore in the current financial year to expand our production capacity,' Sajjan Jindal, vice-chairman and managing director of JSW Steel, told reporters on the sidelines of a business meet.

March 16th, 2009 RANCHI - Traders here Monday closed their shops till noon to protest the killing of three businessmen in Jharkhand in one month. Black flags were put atop shops as hundreds of businessmen and traders took out a protest march to the governor's house.

March 1st, 2009 NEW DELHI - India has lost the opportunity of employing more than 160,000 people with 18 major steel, power and auto projects getting delayed over land acquisition and forest and environment clearance issues, says a study by a business chamber. According to the study by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham), 'the 18 strangled projects of India Inc to the tune of Rs.244,815.5 crore (Rs.2.45 trillion) remained on papers, in the form of memorandum of understanding (MoU) and agreements over the past three-four years'.

February 12th, 2009 RANCHI - Steel major ArcelorMittal will be given government land to set up its proposed Rs.400-billion (Rs.40,000-crore) steel project in Jharkhand, state Industries Director Rahul Sharma said Friday. 'We have asked ArcelorMittal representatives to deposit Rs.12.5 crore (Rs.125 million) to Gumla district to get 1,000 acres of government land.