Question

In which state is the Bhilai Iron and Steel plant located?

Answer 1

Hint: The Bhilai Iron and Steel Plant was set up in 1955 in collaboration with the erstwhile USSR. It is the sole producer & supplier of rails for Indian Railways in India. The plant is also the flagship steel plant of the state-owned Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) and contributes to the largest percentage of its profit.

Complete answer: The Bhilai Steel Plant is located in the Durg district of Chhattisgarh. It was a part of Madhya Pradesh until 2000 when Chhattisgarh was created out of 16 districts of Madhya Pradesh. The plant produces 260 metre long rails, a large variety of wide and heavy steel plates and structural steel including thermo-mechanically treated (TMT) bars and other products like wire rods. It was expanded to 2.5 MT in 1967 and then to 4 MT in 1988. The plant has also taken measures for waste management, resource utilisation and pollution control and has initiated several waste reduction programmes.

Note: The iron ore for the Bhilai Steel Plant is obtained from Dalli Rajhara which is about 100 km from the location of the plant. Due to Dalli Rajhara’s depleting iron ore resources, the plant is opening an iron ore mine at Rowghat. The limestone required for the plant is obtained from Nandini, Dolomite from Hirri, and the coal from the Korba and Kargali coal fields. The water for the plant comes from the Tandula dam while the power for the plant comes from the Korba thermal power station.