Yet to achieve financial closure for project because of pending draft agreement

The West Bengal government has upped the ante against JSW Steel and charged it with delaying the Salboni steel and power project. At Rs 35,000 crore, the investment for the project is the largest in the state. Questioning JSW's intentions, Partha Chatterjee, West Bengal industry minister, today said if the company continued to dilly-dally, it could be asked to return the land. "I am fed up with the company. It seems they have no intention of taking the project forward. We have waited enough. They have been talking about the iron ore problem. But that is not the state government's responsibility. They are raising one issue after another," Chatterjee said.

The Indian Oil Corporation’s R910-crore LPG pipeline project has hit a 20-acre sticky patch in Haldia. The land is crucial since the oil major has planned a pumping station on it which would enable gas flow through a 300-km-long pipeline from Haldia to Durgapur and right up to Kalyani.

An IOC official said the entire length of the pipeline from Paradip in Orissa to Haldia and then to Kalyani in West Bengal is 710 km. There is no problem of land for the entire stretch but only 20 acres has become detrimental to the project.

The Union petroleum ministry has issued directives to Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) to not consider any investment in Haldia Petrochemicals (HPL) since the oil major has no room to leverage its finances with government subsidy required to post profits.

IOC posted a R22,451 crore net loss in the first quarter of FY 13, though in the second quarter it came round the corner posting a R9,611-crore net profit. A petroleum ministry official told FE that IOC’s 9.6% holding in HPL already has a negative impact on its balance sheet since HPL shares are R(-)5 per share at present.

Calcutta, Sept. 25: At least 53 lakh families in Bengal have to walk half a kilometre or more for drinking water, according to provisional census data.

TAMLUK, 5 SEPT: The rapid expansion of shrimp cultivation in East Midnapore district has been causing trouble, as hundreds of hectares of agricultural land has been converted into shrimp ponds.

Aug.

The Union Environment Ministry’s expert appraisal committee has objected to West Bengal’s Super Critical Imported Coal Based Thermal Power Plant at Nayachar Island, saying that it stands on ecologi

TAMLUK: The economy of East Midnapore district could be in trouble, since it is heavily dependent upon the cultivation of Bagda prawns, a product for which there is dwindling demand.

Belpahari, Aug. 7: In the past 40 years, only one chief minister — S.S.