Special Correspondent, Mumbai
With the highly ambitious goal of developing Maharashtra into the country’s leading ‘Green Steel Hub’, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has made a significant demand to the Union Ministry of Coal and Mines. The Chief Minister strongly advocated that six premium-quality iron ore mines in the Gadchiroli district be transferred to the Maharashtra State Mining Corporation. He presented this firm stance during a high-level joint meeting held in the presence of Union Minister for Coal and Mines, G. Kishan Reddy.
The Chief Minister expressed confidence that if these mines are allocated to the state government, they will be made operational within just two years, and direct production will commence by 2030. This, he noted, will position India as a major global exporter of steel in the near future. The high-level meeting, held at the Chief Minister’s official residence ‘Varsha’, was attended by Union Minister of State for Mines Satish Chandra Dubey and Maharashtra’s Minister of State for Mines Pankaj Bhoyer, along with senior officials from Coal India, Western Coalfields, and various administrative departments.
Since the iron ore in Gadchiroli is among the finest quality in the country, the region is poised to emerge as a critical hub for industrial development and steel production in India. This integrated steel ecosystem is expected to attract an investment of ₹3 lakh crore to the state and generate lakhs of stable employment opportunities for youth. Along with vast reserves of iron ore, the availability of limestone, abundant water resources, nearby coal mines, and essential infrastructure makes the region exceptionally favorable for the steel industry. Furthermore, a massive reduction in Naxal influence in the area has created a secure and highly conducive environment for development and the establishment of new industries. Capitalizing on this golden opportunity, leading conglomerates like Tata and JSW have already signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the Government of Maharashtra, and the process of acquiring thousands of acres of land is moving at a rapid pace. To connect this prospective steel hub with global markets, a rail and freight network linking Gadchiroli to JNPT and the planned Vadhvan port is being developed, with necessary land already reserved along the Samruddhi Expressway for railways.
Currently, excessive premiums charged during the mining auction process across the country make several mines financially unviable. As a result, although around 500 mines have been auctioned nationwide, only 50 are actually operational. In this scenario, if these specific mines are handed over directly to the Maharashtra State Mining Corporation, mineral production can begin swiftly, ensuring a transparent supply of raw minerals to local steel industries. The Chief Minister urged the Central Government to approve the approximately 1,300 hectares of land requested by Maharashtra, citing the precedent of the bauxite mining blocks allocated to the Odisha State Mining Corporation. This planned ecosystem will enable Maharashtra to produce international-quality steel at a production cost even lower than that of China. The state has already established a District Mining Authority and set up a specialized mechanism to ensure all necessary clearances are granted within a set timeframe. A production target of 50 million tonnes of iron ore has been set for these mines by 2030. Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy showed immense positivity toward the Chief Minister’s comprehensive proposal and also directed the implementation of an automated sample testing system to evaluate the quality of coal supplied to power generation companies in the state.
