Didi sets tone for biz meet with cement unit

Kolkata: Sending out a message of West Bengal becoming favourite destination for industries a day before the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS), chief minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the new cement plant of JSW Group at Salboni in West Midnapore on Monday. The project will be a boost to investments in the state, she said.

Ms Banerjee also called upon the people to cooperate with the industrialists for further investments. Rallying for support behind the JSW Group she said, “They want to do a lot of things. They have plans to set up their power units and steel industries here. So their intention is very good. We are excited for that. Tomorrow our BGBS will start.”

Showering lavish praise on JSW Group chairman Sajjan Jindal Ms Banerjee told him: “I invite all of you including Sajjanji to join us there. Today you started to bell the cat. Today the business has started rolling. It is significant achievement what you have done by laying the foundation of your cement plant in less than two years.”

Referring to Mr Jindal’s son and JSW Cement managing director (MD) Parth Jindal Ms Banerjee said, “Parth is a young entrepreneur. You will cooperate with him for what he has done. The more good behaviour they will get, the more industries they will set up here.”

The Salboni unit which has been built at an investment of around Rs 800 crores with a production capacity 2.4 million tonne per annum (MTPA) will cater JSW Cement’s customer requirements in West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar and northern parts of Odisha. The commercial production started there in August last year.

JSW Group has plans to invest another Rs 300 crores to add 1.2 MTPA capacity to the Salboni plant. The work for the additional capacity is expected to start in six months. Besides an 18-MW captive power plant is on the cards at an investment of another Rs 100 crores.

JSW Cement MD said, “The Salboni unit supports our nation-building goals. Today’s inaugural function marks a significant milestone for both JSW Group and West Bengal. West Bengal has been a preferred state for setting up one of our biggest cement manufacturing units.”

He elaborated, “We are committed to stay invested in this state and are in fact planning to increase the capacity of our Salboni cement unit to 3.6 MTPA. This will not only mean additional investments but also create new employment opportunities and community initiatives at Salboni.”

Mr Jindal added, “The Salboni unit’s capacity expansion is part of our goal to achieve an overall production capacity of 20 MTPA by 2020. We thank the the Hon’ble Chief Minister Smt Mamata Banerjee for joining us on this momentous day. We take immense pride in dedicating the Salboni cement unit to the economic development of West Bengal.”

JSW Cement has commenced despatches of Concreel HD cement from the Salboni unit to eastern markets. Concreel HD is a unique cement variant innovated by JSW Cement. It is specially designed for concrete-based construction requirements. Concreel HD provides exceptional strength and sets quickly, thereby making it ideal for strength-bearing applications such as beams, columns, slabs and foundations.