By IANS,
Bokaro (Jharkhand) : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will lay the foundation stone of the Rs.80 billion ($2 billion) expansion project of the Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL) of the Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) here April 22.
BSL plans to ramp up its total capacity to 7.5 million tonnes (MT) from the current 4.5 MT.
This expansion plan is part of SAIL’s overall expansion and modernisation programme worth Rs.540 billion. SAIL plans to increase its capacity to 26 MT by 2010 and thereafter to 60 MT by 2020.
SAIL also plans to increase the production of Rourkela Steel Plant to 4.5 MT from the current 2.5 MT, Bhilai Steel Plant to 7.5 MT from 4.82 and Durgapur Steel Plant to 3.5 from 2 MT by 2010.
After laying the foundation stone, Singh will address a rally here. He will be accompanied by Jharkhand Governor Syed Sibtey Razi, Chief Minister Madhu Koda, union Minister for Chemicals, Fertilisers and Steel Ram Vilas Paswan among others.
Singh will also visit steel city Jamshedpur, where he would lay the foundation stone of Centenary City Centre and release stamp on Tata Steel. The city centre is a gift from the Tata Steel to the city where the steel company has completed 100 years.
According to government sources, Singh will arrive at Birsa Munda Airport at Ranchi around 9.30 a.m. and will go to Bokaro in an army helicopter. From Bokaro, he will go to Jamshedpur at 2.30 p.m. and in the evening he will return to New Delhi.
Heavy security arrangements have been made. Jharkhand Chief Secretary A.K. Basu and state police chief V.D. Ram have reviewed the security situation of Bokaro and Jamshedpur.