Hit by severe shortage of iron-ore, Sajjan Jindal, chairman and MD of JSW Steel, has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and senior cabinet ministers not to provide any relaxation in restrictions levied on the export of iron-ore.
In his letter, which is also copied to the finance and commerce minister, Jindal said that if the government ensured the availability of iron-ore for domestic steel production, currently running at an all time low utilisation level, the imports of steel will go down and so will the current account deficit. ?Out of the 57 mines approved, only 14 mines are operating with an annual production of 13.77 million tonne against the total demand of around 35 million tonne. We are bringing some iron-ore from Orissa and Chhattisgarh, which is not economically viable,? Jindal said.