Economic times reports that Mittal is more postive of the progress in Orissa for it’s steel plant.

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BHUBANESWAR: Arcelor-Mittal group CEO L N Mittal expressed his preference for the company’s proposed mega steel plant in Orissa over the one planned in Jharkhand, even as the Orissa government committed itself to provide requisite land and raw material for the greenfield project.If things go as planned, Mittal even indicated to CM Naveen Patnaik and senior government functionaries that the world’s largest steel company is keen to start leg work in January 2008.

“We are very happy with the pace of progress in Orissa. We would certainly prefer Orissa to Jharkhand considering the progress,” Mittal said, emerging from a 150-minute meeting with the CM and his team.

“We are all working hard towards starting the project as fast as possible,” he told reporters, without mentioning any deadline. The steel moghul said he was “very happy” with the way things have moved ever since the company signed an MoU with the state government in December 2006 for a 12 million tonne per annum steel plant in Keonjhar district.

“The Dastur co is preparing the detailed project report and it should be ready by mid-2008,” he said.

On the mines linkage, Mittal, who was accompanied by his son Aditya and Mittal-India CEO Sanak Mishra, said after the “very detailed discussions” with the CM, he was “very confident” about getting required access to mines. He added that he was “very optimistic” about effectively tackling rehabilitation and resettlement issues.

According to official sources, the steel monarch requested the state government to acquire at least a part of the 8,000-acre land earmarked for the project, especially the encroachment-free government land, so that the company could begin some “work on the ground early next year”. Mittal, the sources said, sought to know about the mining linkage and the government assured him full support without committing any specific mines.