SAIL ‘dissolves’ RMD HQ at Kolkata, to shift to Rourkela and Bokaro

By Express News Service
ROURKELA: In a serious growth, the Steel Authority of India (SAIL) has determined to dissolve the Raw Materials Division (RMD) and shift its headquarter from Kolkata to Rourkela and Bokaro with distribution of captive mines.

Informing this on the Steel Executives’ Federation of India (SEFI), common secretary and RSP executives’ affiliation president Bimal Bisi stated in its board assembly on Friday, SAIL took the choice because the RMD headquarters at Kolkata was far-off from its captives mines and had turned out to be a white elephant.

SAIL mines positioned in Odisha would come beneath the executive management of the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) those in Jharkhand would come beneath the jurisdiction of Bokaro Steel Plant (BSP). The workers at RMD headquarters, Kolkata could be shifted to Rourkela and Bokaro.

“The decision would see relocation of around 2,500 RMD employees including 500 executives in addition to 20,000 contract workers,” Bisi stated including, SEFI has been demanding the necessity of shifting the RMD headquarters from Kolkata for the final 15 years and had made quite a few representations on this regard citing monetary disadvantages.  

To keep the Kolkata headquarters of RMD, the SAIL was pressured to incur about Rs 50 crore yearly whereas beneath the brand new preparations, the RSP and BSP would run their mines with a fraction of the associated fee, he stated.

Bisi additional added that the strategic benefits will embody higher liaison prospects for governments of Odisha and Jharkhand for statutory compliances to reinforce productions, enhance hyperlink with Chakradharpur Division of South Eastern Railway  for increase dispatch and availability of railway rakes and monitoring of mines apart from eradicating operational hurdles. 

Under it, RSP would get management of Bolani, Kalta, Taldihi and Barsuan iron ore mines in Sundargarh and Keonjhar districts of Odisha, whereas BSP would get Chiria, Megatburu, Kiruburu, Gua, Bhavnathpur and Kuteswar mines in Jharkhand. However, SAIL or RSP sources neither confirmed nor denied the event.

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