Unions call for criminal investigation into alleged slag scam at Rourkela Steel Plant

India: Union officials at the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) have asked for an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into an alleged fixing of the price of blast furnace granulated slag (BFGS). The RSP claims that it couldn’t sell its slag by electronic auction due to limited storage space, lack of rail transport logistics and low market price of BFGS, according to the New Indian Express newspaper. However, sources quoted by the newspaper say that the plant had sufficient storage space and that at least three times as much railway cargo capacity was available as the RSP has indicated. It is estimated that it undersold its product by at least US$15.5m. Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram has also accused the steelmaker of favouring local cement producer OCL India in the scheme.