Posco, the world’s fourth-biggest steel maker gave strong indications of commencing work on its planned 12-million-tonne steel plant in Orissa, by April 2007.

After meeting the Orissa Chief Minister, Mr. Naveen Patnaik, Mr. Ku-Taek Lee, Chief Executive Officer of the company, said, “We have had a very positive and productive meeting regarding land and mining issues and POSCO is committed to setting up the steel plant in India.”

“We hope to have the ground breaking ceremony for the plant on April 1 next year, which also happens to be the 40th anniversary of the company,” Mr. Lee said.

The facility would be the country’s single biggest foreign direct investment (FDI) project, but is yet to secure a mining permit and the land has not been fully cleared of the occupants.

The company secured the necessary environmental clearances from the Government in August, more than two years after agreeing to invest $12 billion in the project.

According to Mr. Patnaik, excluding the land and mining issues, other vital matters were also talked over during the conference. But, he didn’t provide inside information on what the other matters were.

But the related sources who attended the conference told that matters concerning the safety of the company’s workers were hashed out and the Chief Minister guaranteed POSCO functionaries that their worries would be checked out.

Mr. Patnaik also told that the State administration has transferred a few documents to the Centre for receiving the required permissions.

“Since it is the largest FDI in the country, all the issues relating to mining leases and allotment of land have been sent to the respective Ministries and we hope to get the clearances very soon,” Mr. Patnaik said.

The Chief Minister also added up that as far as the State Government was concerned, they would make sure that the facility goes on efficiently and calmly.

Mr. Patnaik also cleared that POSCO had not closed its Kujang office while some of the employees was withdrawn from the region as a mark of collaboration to the local government that recommended company functionaries not to venture into the plant site considering the existing pressure there.