Nagpur: Lloyds Metals and Energy Limited (LMEL) plans to lay down a 950-km iron ore slurry pipeline connecting its mines in Surjagarh Hills of Gadchiroli in eastern Vidarbha to Dighi port in Raigargh district in Konkan. Once ready, it would be the world’s longest, beating even Brazil’s Minas-Rio slurry pipeline which at present is the largest in the world covering a distance of 529km. LMEL is the lone iron ore miner in Gadchiroli as of now. It is also building an integrated steel plant within the district.
The LMEL pipeline is planned to run along the Samruddhi Expressway that connects Nagpur to Mumbai for some distance before diverting towards the Dighi port.Iron ore is the basic raw material for steel-making units. It is pulverised into fine particles which remain suspended in water, making it a cheaper mode of transport as compared with rail or road. The pipeline will supply iron ore to the domestic gas-fired steel plants on the way. It would reach Chandrapur first, covering Jalna further and going towards Dighi. Talking to TOI on the sidelines of Advantage Vidarbha-Khasdar Audyogik Mahotsav, LMEL’s managing director B Prabhakaran said half of the approvals needed to start the project were already obtained. “Considering the pace of groundwork, it is expected that work on laying down the pipeline may begin this year,” he said.LMEL, which is relying on pipeline supply for cheaper transport, already has one that connects its mines in Surjagarh with its steel plant at Konseri, covering a distance of 98km. “The pipeline to Dighi will be an entirely separate initiative,” said Prabhakaran.Earlier, during the inauguration of Advantage Vidarbha, Gadkari mentioned the pipeline as a reference to the changing phase of Gadchiroli, which once held the tag of a Maoist-affected district. Gadkari, who appreciated the change due to the mining and steel ventures, said there was a time when he was not even allowed to stop for a cup of tea at one of the workers’ homes during a visit to the district. “The superintendent of police requested me with folded hands to board the chopper and leave at the earliest. The cop said any risk to my life would have his job at stake. This was despite the fact that I used to move with 50 commandos as part of Z security. However, Prabhakaran moved with none, and look at Gadchiroli today,” he said.
