Minister of State for Steel, Faggan Singh Kulaste visits Bhilai
Bhilai, Feb 04: Minister of State for Steel, Govt of India, Faggan Singh Kulaste arrived on a one-day visit to SAIL-Bhilai Steel Plant on Thursday. Kulaste was accompanied by Vijay Baghel, Member of Parliament, Durg. Also present during the visit was Vidya Ratan Bhasin, MLA Vaishali Nagar.
Upon entering the Plant, Kulaste first witnessed a safety briefing at Safety Excellence Centre after which he was given a guard of honour by jawans of CISF. Kulaste then proceeded to Power & Blowing Station 1 where he ceremonially lit Boiler No 7. With a capacity of 150 Tonnes steam per hour, Boiler 7 is a gas fired boiler. Using the Plant’s by-product gases as fuel instead of coal, the boiler is efficient and pollution-free.
Minister of State for Steel then proceeded to the Plant’s Blast Furnaces where he participated in the 62nd anniversary celebrations of the first hot metal tapping in Bhilai from Blast Furnace 1. Kulaste cut a ceremonial cake on the occasion. Extending his best wishes to all employees of Bhilai Steel Plant, Minister of State for Steel urged all employees to work towards fulfilling the nation’s requirement for steel. India has under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi become the second largest steel producer in the world after China, said Kulaste, adding that our country is now aiming to achieve steelmaking capacity of 300 Million Tonnes (MT). SAIL-Bhilai Steel Plant’s expansion to 7 MT has planned in line with this target, he said. Kulaste congratulated the entire collective of Bhilai Steel Plant for their 62 year journey during which the Plant has achieved many milestones.
Earlier, congratulating the Bhilai Collective in his address, Vijay Baghel, MP said we are witnessing history today. The Plant is known for its culture of excellence, he said, adding that it is the result of the energetic and spirited team performing under the leadership of their Director I/c, Anirban Dasgupta that the Plant has been scaling new heights today. He congratulated the Bhilai Collective for having performed well even during the difficult times of Corona pandemic.
Director I/c, SAIL-Bhilai Steel Plant, Anirban Dasgupta said even as we are celebrating the 62nd anniversary of the historic occasion of the first hot metal flowing out of Blast Furnace 1 of the Plant on this day in 1959, it is a matter of pride for us that our oldest Blast Furnace No 1 continues to be one of the best in terms of production and productivity. We are fortunate to have today amidst us our Minister of State for Steel Kulaste on this occasion. Kulaste has always been a good strategist and a guide for us in SAIL and the steel industry, Dasgupta said. Earlier, welcoming the dignitaries, senior officers of the Plant and members of the Blast Furnaces present in large numbers, Suryavanshi, CGM I/c Iron informed that Blast Furnace 1 has so far produced 25 million tonnes of hot metal.
Minister of State for Steel, Faggan Singh Kulaste later planted a sapling in the Plant’s Rising Bhilai Udyan, following which he was welcomed at Ispat Bhavan. Kulaste interacted with senior officers of the Plant in Director I/c Conference Hall during a presentation on Bhilai Steel Plant’s performance. Kulaste also held a meeting with MSME.
Besides, Anirban Dasgupta, Director I/c, Executive Directors of the Plant including ED (M& HS) Dr SK Issar, ED (MM) Rakesh, ED (Works) Rajiv Sehgal, ED (Projects) AK Bhatta, ED (P&A) SK Dubey and CGM I/c Finance S Rangani were present during the several functions.
