Kalinganagar is a planned industrial and modern town in Jajpur district of coastal Odisha, India. It is rich in iron ore. Because of high global demand for steel, Kalinganagar is becoming a major global hub in steel, power and ancillary products. A large number of steel plants including projects by Jindal Steel and Tata Steel are in various stages of implementation.
The city has been a main contributor to Odisha's economy, human resource and fast growing urbanization and industrialization. In ancient times, Jajapur was the capital of Great Kalinga Empire.
Kalinganagar is a major industrial center of Odisha. It houses companies like Tata Steel, NINL, Jindal, VISA, MESCO, Maithan Ispat Ltd and many more.
The government of India has given final approval to develop the Kalinganagar complex as a National Investment Manufacturing Zone under the National Manufacturing Policy. The major proposal at Kalinganagar NIMZ are Steel & Aluminium Downstream Park, New Industrial Township, Central Business District with office, Commercial and recreational activities, Common Tool Rooms, Technical Training Institutions and Support internal infrastructure.
History
Kalinganagar is a geographical unit consisting of a compact landmass of Danagadi and Sukinda Blocks of Jajpur district of Odisha, India. Kalinganagar is neither a village nor a town. This is a name given to a geographical area by Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO)where the Govt. of Odisha aims at developing a steel-producers-hub. IDCO has acquired the land from public, has developed infrastructure and has given it to various industries for setting up Steel Plants. The process has started from the early 1990s and the ex-CM, late Biju Patanaik, took the lead role in promoting the steel-hub. He had invited first, Swaraj Paul, a NRI British industrialist to set up a steel plant which did not materialize though. Later, the industrial activity grew when his son Naveen Patnaik became the CM of Odisha. Now there are around 15 steel plants which includes public sector plant like NINL, private sector plant like JSL, MESCO etc. Tata Steel is setting up its Steel Plant here which would become operation by 2014 end.
On 2 January 2006 about 800 tribals protested against Tata Steel. Their protest focussed on the fact that land on which their cattle had grazed had been blocked by a wall. Further on they rallied for a fair compensation. To quash the protest Special Armed Police Forces were called in. According to the protesting tribals these police forces started to chase away the protesters. No attention was given to the fact that women and children were among them. More than 10 adivasi were killed by the police forces, more than 40 of them were wounded. This police brutality is still very vivid in the memory of the adivasi population. For many years adivasi have organized a protest activity on 2 January. In this tradition people marched from Chamakoila to Ambagadia on 2 January 2019. In Ambagadia at the martyrs’ tower a meeting took place, in which Rabindra Jaraka, secretary of Bisthapan Birodhi Jana Mancha (BBJM) stated the following: “The government has so far not explained any reason behind the firing. The state government is only keen on signing MOUs with the big corporate houses and practically gift away the best deposits of iron ore as captive mines at a meagre amount of royalty. Tata built the steel plant over the dead bodies of tribal people.”
The district headquarters is at Jajpur Town and the nearest rail station is Jajpur-Keonjhar Road. Kalinganagar is located closer to Bhubaneswar, nearly 100 km, which is the state capital of Odisha. The area comes under Sukinda Legislative Assembly Constituency and Jajpur MP constituency. 2014: Rita Tarai(BJD) is the MP and Mr. Pritiranjan Gharai (BJD) is the MLA of Kalinganagar area.
Geography
Kalinganagar is situated in Jajpur District of Odisha, India. It comprises Byasanagar Municipality, Danagadi block. It is located at latitude 200 45’ N and longitude 850 50’ E. It has an average elevation of above mean sea level.
Vision
Kalinganagar Industrial Area is projected to be developed for a population of over 1 million by 2025 and it will be extended to as envisaged by the state government. In this connection, Lea Associates of South Asia in association with the School of Planning and Architect, New Delhi and the Centre for Environment and Planning (CEPT) presented a vision document to the Chief Minister for the development of Kalinganagar Industrial Area.