Union Petroleum and Natural Gas and Steel Minister Dharmendra Pradhan along with Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das laid the foundation stone of two mega petroleum projects at Bokaro on Sunday.

The Minister laid the foundation stones of BPCL's (Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited) LPG bottling plant and a POL Terminal (Petroleum, Oil and Lubricants) at Bokaro which would be the first in Jharkhand for the company.

With an estimated investment of Rs 350 crore, the two mega petroleum projects are soon to come up at Bokaro, taking the city on the path of being an industrial hub. The LPG plant of BPCL, having an estimated investment of Rs 100 crore, will be spread over 20 acres of land at Balidih and will have the capacity of 60,000 MT per year.

The plant is expected to be operational by September 2020, said Pradhan.

The POL Terminal having an expected investment of Rs 250 crore, will be spread over 77.5 acres of land at Radha Gaon and will have the capacity of 27,000 kiloliters.

“This terminal will be equipped with all latest technology and white standard safety mechanism and is expected to be operational by September 2021,” said the Union Minister.

The upcoming LPG Bottling plant in Bokaro will not only cater to the LPG markets in various districts of Jharkhand but will also generate thousands of direct and indirect employment, Pradhan added.

“Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) has empowered over 6 crore women in India, and very soon the figure will touch 8 crore households. PMUY has been a revolution and has brought smiles on the faces of BPL families,” the Union Minister said.

Speaking on the occasion, CM Raghubar Das said that Bokaro is emerging as an industrial hub and about 47 new investors are ready to invest Rs 4303 crore to establish their units here at Bokaro.