Technical Trial run with first rake of Iron ore from Rowghat’s Anjrel reaches BSP
Bhilai, Sep 11: A significant milestone in SAIL-BSP’s long-awaited Rowghat project was crossed today with receipt of the first rake of iron ore from the mines in Rowghat.
Iron ore excavation has been started in ‘F’ block of Anjrel after all necessary clearances were obtained. After long drawn efforts to enable transportation of ore from Anjrel, the first rake of 21 wagons were despatched from Antagarh railway station to BSP on September 10, 2022 in what was a technical trial run.
Anirban Dasgupta, Director I/c (BSP) and senior officials of the Plant welcomed the first rake of Iron ore at BSP on September 11, 2022.
In his address on this joyous occasion, Dasgupta stated that it is a matter of pride that iron ore from the soil of Chhattisgarh will reach Blast Furnace and Steel Melting shop and will be converted into world class products of SAIL including rails. The long-awaited ore from Rowghat has now materialised. SAIL-BSP has come this far and will progress further with the support of the State government and we will deal with all the technical issues that come up, he said. BSP’s iron ore complex at Dalli-Rajhara will function as a beneficiation area for iron ore sourced from Rowghat, he added.
BSP has been active in fulfilling its corporate social responsibility in Rowghat area – be it partnering with Ramakrishna Mission extending health care facilities, running an English Medium DAV school, he said. With the help of BSF, we are also ensuring security in the area, he added.
Dasgupta welcomed and interacted with 27 trainee students from Anjrel’s Khorgaon village Panchayat, who came along to BSP to witness the technical trial run and see for themselves the production process of Bhilai Steel Plant.
Tapan Sutradhar, ED (Mines) thanked all personnel from the Mines collective as well as those from other associated agencies for their efforts. It’s a historical moment and the country will definitely benefit from this accomplishment, he stated.
AK Bhatta, ED (MM), Anjani Kumar, ED (Works), Tapan Sutradhar, ED (Mines), MM Gadre, ED (P & A), S Mukhopadhyay, ED (Projects), Dr AK Panda, ED (F & A), Manash Biswas, ex-ED (Mines), and PK Sinha, ex-ED (Mines), AK Mishra, Ex-GM Mines, Tapas Dasgupta, CGM I/c (Iron), Samir Swaroop, CGM(Mines & Rowghat), CGMs and other senior officials were present on the occasion. NK Bancchor, President, Officers Association and Union representatives were also present.
BSP has obtained all necessary permissions to mine and despatch 3 Lakh tonnes of iron ore per annum from Anjrel block.
The future of SAIL-Bhilai to a large extent hinges on regular mining and supply of iron ore from Rowghat project. Implementing the project has been a challenge for SAIL-BSP as well as State & Central government.
Since 2020, massive efforts have been made by BSP along with State government for starting mining activities in Anjrel region of Rowghat. The State Forest department has helped in construction of a road for transportation of ore from Anjrel region to the siding at Antagarh railway station.
In order to transport iron ore from Rowghat to Bhilai, a railway line is being constructed from Dalli-Rajhara to Narayanpur, jointly by SAIL-BSP and Indian Railways. The route covering 35 kms from Dalli-Rajhara to Antagarh is operational and the ongoing work to complete the balance portion of the rail link has now picked up momentum.
A Weigh Bridge & Stockyard has been set up near Antagarh station. While the road from Anjrel is currently being used to transport iron ore to Antagarh, rail route will be fully used for transportation after work to ensure connectivity of railway line till Narayanpur is completed.
