Arcelor-Mittal keen on setting up steel plant in Hubballi-Dharwad

Global steel giant Arcelor-Mittal has expressed interest in setting up a steel plant in Hubballi-Dharwad.

On May 22, the London-based firm signed a memorandum of understanding with the Steel Authority of India Limited to invest Rs 5,000 crore for setting up its plants in the country, with an annual production capacity of 1.5 lakh tonnes.

Ireland-based Roland Berger consultancy, which is the technical advisor to Arcelor-Mittal, is in search of a suitable place for the proposed steel plant. Through an e-mail, Prathamesh Choudhary and Juben Sarkar of the consultancy contacted the Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) here on June 18 and collected information about the availability of land and infrastructure.

“For setting up the steel plant, Arcelor-Mittal requires 300 acres of land in a rectangular shape. We have informed the consultancy about the availability of land belonging to the KIADB near Mummigatti in Dharwad and at Gamanagatti Industrial Area second stage near Hubballi,” said KCCI president Vasant Ladawa.

Proximity to Ballari district, where ore is available, inclusion of Hubballi-Dharwad in the Bengaluru-Mumbai special economic corridor, Hubballi-Hosapete double railway line for transportation, and good connectivity with Goa, Mumbai and Hyderabad have all stirred the interest of Arcelor-Mittal on the twin cities, Ladawa said.

On June 24, the KCCI delegation met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Bengaluru, and brought the issue to his notice.

“We urged the government to take the issue seriously and to ensure there’s no repetition of the case of Hero Motocorp, which we lost. This steel plant will boost the development of the Mumbai-Karnataka region. The chief minister has instructed Industries and Commerce Department Commissioner Gourav Gupta to take suitable steps,” Ladawa added.