Centre has no intention to halt projects in Orissa: Khurshid

In the backdrop of big-ticket investments by Posco and Vedanta facing green hurdle in Orissa, Union Corporate Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid today said that the Centre had no intention to stall the projects.

In the backdrop of big-ticket investments by Posco and Vedanta facing green hurdle in Orissa, Union Corporate Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on Saturday said that the Centre had no intention to stall the projects.

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"Halting of certain projects for some time should not be seen as non-cooperation from the Centre or the state," Khurshid told reporters at the sideline of a function marking 'Investor Day' in Bhubaneswar.

The Centre was in favour of more and more investments in the country and there was need for better coordination between it and the states to sort out problems faced during implementation of certain projects, he said.

"When questions are raised over certain issues related to a project, there are attempts to solve them. Time is required to solve the questions raised by local people. Halting any project for some time to solve the problem should not be considered as scrapping of the investment plan," the union minister said.

On the ruling BJD government's allegations that the UPA government at the Centre was against big investments in Orissa , he said "It is the collective responsibility of all parties to solve the problem."

Further, he added that Orissa was not the only state to be was facing problems in implementing projects. Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and even Delhi are experiencing similar problems, Khurshid said.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who attended the function, said Orissa has seen significant investments in the industrial sector and at present it has over Rs 4 lakh crore of committed investments under implementation at various stages.

A number of companies have set up their industrial establishments and offices in the state and more are expected in the near future, Patnaik said.