"The state government has been pleased to recommend the proposal of Tata Steel for extension of formal approval for another one year from June 18 this year to June 17, 2014 in respect of multi-product SEZ at Gopalpur. You are therefore, requested to kindly place the matter before the Board of Approvals (BoA) on SEZs for consideration and approval”, S C Naik, additional secretary (industries), Odisha wrote to director-SEZ under Union commerce & industry ministry.
Tata Steel is the anchor tenant for the industrial park being developed at Gopalpur on an area of 2,952 acres. Establishment of SEZ needs a minimum land area of 2500 acres.
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In March this year, Tata Steel obtained coastal regulatory zone (CRZ) approval from the Union ministry of environment & forests (MoEF) for the industrial park.
Land at Gopalpur was acquired by Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco) for an integrated steel mill originally proposed by Tata Steel in 1995. But later, the steel maker shelved the steel plant and instead proposed to construct a 50,000 tonne per annum ferrochrome plant and one 4,00,000 rebar mill over an area of 400 acres of land along with the cluster of project over an area of 2952 acres.
Tata Steel would invest Rs 1,000 crore on these two projects which would initially create employment for 1,000 people. While the ferroalloys plant will cost about Rs 200 to 250 crore, the bar mill will be set up at an investment of Rs 750 to Rs 800 crore.
But the company could not start construction activity as the state government was still indecisive on transfer of land. It was yet to be decided whether land transfer deed needs to be executed in the name of Tata Steel or Gopalpur Special Economic Zone (SEZ).