BHUBANESWAR: Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) CMD, Dr. Ashok Kumar Panda visited the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) on a two-day tour, during which he reviewed ongoing expansion activities and stressed on the importance of safety, equipment reliability and enhanced production of value-added steel. Dr. Panda arrived in Rourkela on Friday and was received at the airport by RSP Director-in-Charge Alok Verma. Senior officials, including Executive Director (Human Resources) Tarun Misra and Executive Director (Materials Management) Anil Kumar, were also present. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) unit of RSP accorded him a ceremonial guard of honour on arrival.
On Saturday, the SAIL chief inspected key expansion sites at the integrated steel plant, including the New Plate Mill, one of the facility’s major production units. He was accompanied by Verma, Executive Director (Works) Biswaranjan Palai and Executive Director (Projects) S. Pal Chowdhury. Following the site visit, Dr. Panda chaired a high-level review meeting at the Manthan Conference Hall, attended by RSP’s senior management, including executive directors, chief general managers, heads of departments and other officials.
Dr. Panda commended the plant’s performance and its achievements in setting production and operational benchmarks across several areas. He said the SAIL management had reposed significant confidence in RSP and expected the plant to play a pivotal role in the company’s future growth strategy. During the review, the CMD highlighted three strategic priorities for the steel major: strengthening workplace safety, maintaining equipment health to ensure operational efficiency, and increasing the production of value-added steel products to enhance competitiveness and profitability.
Director-in-Charge Alok Verma thanked the CMD for his guidance and reaffirmed the commitment of the RSP workforce to meeting the expectations of the SAIL management and contributing to the company’s long-term growth objectives.
