State will not lose, others ready to step in, says Governor Sonali Das, TNN 13 October 2009, 10:03pm IST Anti-displacement outfits in the state, led by activist Dayamani Barla, have promised not to allow Mittal to set foot on tribal agricultural land identified by the company at Torpa in Khunti district. ArcelorMittal's corporate communication officials, though, declined to comment on the matter. Print Email Discuss Bookmark/Share Save Comment Text Size: | RANCHI: Governor K Sankaranarayanan on Tuesday said the state would not lose if investors decided to leave Jharkhand.  This  comes within days of ArcelorMittal saying the company would look for alternate sites elsewhere in India if land acquisition for its greenfield projects in Jharkhand and Orissa continued to prove difficult.  "If one investor decides to move out, there are others who would be interested," the governor told ToI while ruling out that the 12 million tonne greenfield project would be shifted from Jharkhand.  "Why should the steel company decide to shift its project from Jharkhand if a positive dialogue is held between the company and the villagers, who have to give their land for the project," he said, adding that a meaningful discussion should be held to end the stalemate. "Villagers, who own the land, first have to agree to part with it," the governor added.  "However, if the company still decides to shift how can I help it?" he asked. The governor said the vice-president of ArcelorMittal had recently met him and conveyed that the company had no intention of withdrawing as of now.  Sankaranarayanan, however, expressed the inability to speed up the process of land acquisition for the project, saying only an elected government could do so. "It is a long-drawn procedure and since President's Rule in the state expires in January next year, the acquisition process would not reach a logical conclusion."  The state industry department, however, has taken a serious view of the steel giant's conditional consent to set up its project in the state and asked the Khunti district administration to apprise it of the exact status of land acquisition.  Anti-displacement outfits in the state, led by activist Dayamani Barla, have promised not to allow Mittal to set foot on tribal agricultural land identified by the company at Torpa in Khunti district. ArcelorMittal's corporate communication officials, though, declined to comment on the matter.