At the outset, we thank you for reaching out and providing us with an opportunity to present JSW Utkal Steel’s perspective.

The background to this project and our response is as follows –

•  The Government of Odisha had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with POSCO of
  South Korea in June,2005 for establishment of a 12 MTPA Integrated Steel Plant in Jagatsinghpur district of Odisha with a Captive Port. The Project required 4004 acres of land including 437 acres of private land spreading over eight revenue villages. The Central Government accorded forest clearance in May, 2011. Subsequently the betel vines were removed by the District Administration and IDCO (Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation) which is the agency of the State Government to make the land encroachment-free. The land which was made encroachment-free was handed over to IDCO. Eventually the POSCO project could not come up.
  
•  In 2017, JSW proposed to set up a steel plant of same capacity over lesser land – (2950 acres) at the same location. In this regard the land requirement has been assessed by MECON, the Central Government agency and approved by IPICOL (Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha). The transfer of forest clearance has been approved by the MoEF&CC (Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change) and subsequently the State Government has also passed the necessary order.
  
  See attachment for full response.