Nagpur: A plantation drive that should take care of 10% of the state’s 10 crore saplings target for increasing green cover will commence at Gadchiroli on Tuesday. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis will kick-start the plantation of one crore saplings in the Maoist-affected district. On the same day, he will also lay the foundation stone of an integrated steel plant being built by Lloyds Metals and Energy Limited (LMEL) at Konsari village in the district. The steel plant is expected to bring an economic metamorphosis in the district. Gadchiroli district collector Avishyant Panda said, “We are ready with 40 lakh saplings which will be planted during this monsoon season itself. The remaining 60 lakh will be planted within two years, and nurseries are being readied to ensure that the target is met.” He added, “This is not just a plantation campaign; it’s a movement now.”“The 40 lakh saplings have been mainly sourced from the forest department, specifically the Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM), which has a huge nursery bank. For the remaining 60 lakh, we have mobilised funds from the Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) too,” said the collector.Later, at Konsari, after laying the foundation stone of the steel plant, Fadnavis will also inaugurate the first phase of a 5 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) iron ore grinding plant at Hedri in Gadchiroli district, a 10 MTPA capacity slurry pipeline from Hedri to Konsari, and a 4.5 MTPA capacity pellet plant at Konsari. The integrated steel plant is proposed to have a capacity of 4.5 MTPA. Fadnavis will also inaugurate a 100-bedded hospital, a CBSE pattern school at Konsari, apart from performing a ground breaking ceremony of the company’s township. The steel complex and other units by LMEL mark a new chapter for the district. It has emerged as a source of employment for locals, and even surrendered Maoists have taken up jobs in LMEL, said a note shared with TOI. They have been trained by the company in industry-oriented skills and absorbed into jobs to aid the process of integrating them into the mainstream of society.LMEL managing director B Prabhakaran said that more than 140 years ago, Gadchiroli could have been the birthplace of the Indian steel industry. Now, it’s time for the district to shine. His statement referred to Jamsetji Tata’s plan to start steel making at Gadchiroli, which was dropped as there was no rail connectivity at that time.The integrated steel plant, for which the foundation stone will be laid, is also a step towards the country’s vision of making ‘Green Steel’, said Prabhakaran.
