1,500 acres for Mittals' steel plant in Bellary

Of the 5,000 acres notified for the project, the government had already completed the process of acquiring around 1,000 acres in the Kuduthini  area. In the first phase, 1,500 acres will be allotted to the company. Construction will  begin within two months, Yeddyurappa said here.

 The company had paid Rs 600 crore to the government for land and Rs 92 crore disbursed to farmers as compensation so far.

 In June, 2010, ArcelorMittal had inked a pact with the Karnataka government for setting up a six million tonne per annum steel-making facility, along with a 750-MW captive power plant, at an estimated investment of Rs 30,000 crore.

 The water resources department promised to provide 40 MGD feet of water to the steel plant either from  the Tungabhadra or the Alamatti reservoir, sources said.

 The company has applied for iron ore mining lease in the Ramanadurga area in Bellary district. Around 1,200 companies have applied for mining rights in this area. Therefore, the State government has initiated hearing. It has already notified 300 acres for iron ore mining in the area.