Idco takes steps to handover land for Essar Steel terminal at Paradip.

The Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco) has initiated the process to handover land identified for a coal terminal of Essar Steel at Paradip after getting green signal from the government.

Earlier this month, it requested the Director of Ports and Inland Waterways to provide a land map for the proposed riverine port near Paradip and to mark the area reserved for Essar Steel as both the projects did not have clear demarcation of land.

'We have decided to handover the land to Essar Steel excluding the riverfront area and hence, Idco was asked to do the needful', said a source close to the development.

In June, the state government had asked Idco to defer the land allotment process for Essar Steel terminal citing undergoing study for development of a riverine port at Mahanadi river mouth near Paradip. Idco had already acquired land for Essar Steel coal terminal since 2012 and, but when the government decided to go ahead with the plan for the riverine port, it was asked to keep the land allotment process in abeyance.

However, when Essar Steel insisted on quick handover of the land citing delays in development of the port, the government agreed.

BS