State-owned Coal India Limited (CIL) has raised objections to the choice of site for Vedanta Aluminium Limited's proposed plant at Bidhanbag near Asansol in West Bengal, saying that it was a coal-bearing region.
"The project needs detailed discussion because of the location," CIL Chairman Partho Bhattacharya said here.
An official of Vedanta Aluminium familiar with the development told PTI that the company needed 1,000 acres of land in the area for its alumina smelter and power plant. The company was in possession of 270 acres, but the balance was to be acquired by the state government on behalf of Vedanta.
CIL's objection stems from the fact that the area holds huge coal reserves and it wants the state to explore the possibility of allotting an alternative site.
Vedanta had planned to invest Rs 22,000 crore in the state, of which Rs 15,000 crore would be in the first place.
The Vedanta official said that the company planned to start construction work on the 270 acres as part of the first phase in six months.
