JSW Steel not worried over Salboni's security scenario

Kolkata, Nov 11 (IANS) JSW Steel Tuesday said that it is not at all worried about the security scenario in their plant area located in West Bengal's Maoist-hit Salboni region where a landmine blast targeting Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Union Steel Minister Ram Vilas Paswan took place Nov 2.

'We've been working over there (at Salboni) for past two years on the project and we've seen no such security threat for our officials. The area is quite peaceful and our project-oriented works are continuing very smoothly,' JSW Steel's joint managing director and CEO Biswadip Gupta told IANS on the sidelines of a seminar here.

On whether they asked for additional security for the employees working in the facility, Gupta said: 'Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had called me up asking for our opinion on the investment. We told him that we're very much okay with our ongoing Salboni project and we'll continue according to our plans.'

Bhattacharjee and Steel Minister Ram Vilas Paswan had a close shave Nov 2 as suspected Maoists triggered a high-intensive landmine blast on the route of their convoy in West Midnapore district.

Both Bhattacharjee and Paswan were unhurt in the blast while six policemen in a pilot vehicle were injured in the incident.

'The landmine blast was carried out more than 12 km far from our project area. We're not at all targeted in that attack,' he said.