With environmental clearance granted to the multibillion dollar POSCO steel project in Odisha, the Ministry of External Affairs on Monday hoped that the project should commence in the coming months.
Joint Secretary East Asia Gautam Bambawale said: "The current proposal is for 8 million tonne per annum steel plant, and it requires 2,700 acres of land, which has already been acquired by the government of Odisha, and with the environmental clearance being extended by the Ministry of Environment and Forest, I think the project is now all set to move forward."
The Ministry of Environment and Forest has extended the environmental clearance for the project for another five year period.
"We believe that with this and the fact that the acquisition of land is more or less been completed by the Government of Odisha, I think POSCO can now move forward with the project in the coming weeks or months. We do hope that POSCO India will commence the project very soon," he added.