Question

At the time of setting up of the plant which one of the following iron and steel plants used charcoal for smelting as coal was not available?

• A. Tata
• B. Salem
• C. Visweswaraya
• D. Vishakhapatnam

Hint:

VISL Bhadravati is the only major iron and steel plant in India that initially relied on forest-based charcoal instead of mineral coal.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Concept: Smelting iron requires a fuel source to provide heat and act as a reducing agent. While most Indian plants use coking coal, some were established in regions where coal was absent but forests were abundant.

Step 1: The History of VISL.
The Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Plant (VISL), formerly known as Mysore Iron and Steel Works, was established in 1923 at Bhadravati in Karnataka.

Step 2: The Challenge of Fuel.
Unlike the plants in the Chota Nagpur plateau (TISCO/Tata), there were no coal fields near Bhadravati. However, the area was surrounded by the dense forests of the Baba Budan hills. At the time of its inception, the plant used charcoal obtained by burning wood from these forests for smelting iron ore.

Step 3: Evolution.
The plant later transitioned to using electric furnaces after the development of the Mahatma Gandhi Hydroelectric Project, but its initial reliance on charcoal is a unique historical feature of India's industrial geography.