West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is set to unveil a groundbreaking Rs 4,500 crore integrated steel plant in Raghunathpur, Purulia district, in West Bengal marking the first major industrial project in the Jungle Mahal region during her tenure. The inauguration aims to address the limited job opportunities and drought-prone conditions in Purulia.
Purulia, part of the Jungle Mahal, has traditionally seen a lack of significant industries, pushing many residents to seek employment in neighboring West Burdwan or as migrant workers in other states.
Shyam Steel Works Private Ltd, a subsidiary of the Shyam Steel group, undertook the project and plans to provide around 8,000 direct job opportunities once the plant reaches full capacity. In the initial phase, 2,500 workers, predominantly from the district, were engaged, including 359 from land-loser families.
The steel plant, with a capacity of 1.19 million tonnes per annum, is situated on a 600-acre plot at the Jungle Sundari Karmanagari (formerly Raghunathpur Industrial Park) in Purulia. Construction commenced in April last year, with an initial investment of Rs 1,500 crore. Shyam Steel already operates three additional factories in West Burdwan’s Durgapur and Mejia in Bankura, with a combined capacity of 2.84 million tonnes per annum and an investment of Rs 2,000 crore.
Notably, previous attempts at industrialization in the Jungle Mahal, including projects by Jindal Steel Works and Jai Balaji Industries, faced challenges and did not materialize as initially planned.
