Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Sep 21:
With Arcelor-Mittal having already left and Posco packing its bags over land acquisition and other issues, the Odisha Government has finally woken up to the need to set up a separate Directorate of Steel to help the industry in the state.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has already approved the proposal moved by the Steel and Mines Department in this regard, sources in the department said.
The new directorate will come under the Steel and Mines Department itself and not be a separate entity, the sources said. There would not be any Special Directors supervising it. Instead, an Additional Secretary already in charge of the Steel Department would take care of this new directorate, they added.
The new directorate, which will only work on issues pertaining to the steel industry, plans to appoint a Steel Consultant from the corporate sector on a fat pay cheque. The consultant would advise the state government on attracting investment into the state and towards solving the issues the industry is facing in here.
Experts, however, are not enthused over the government move. While some call it “too little, too late”, others believe it is a government ploy to place some of its people in various new positions.
“There already is a special wing operating under Steel and Mines Department to take care of issues pertaining to Steel Industry. If the Additional Secretary already in charge of the Steel Department heads the new directorate, this would practically make no difference to the state of affairs. This might be a move by the government to pacify the not-so-happy steel industry,” opined an expert.
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