JAMSHEDPUR: Chief minister Raghubar Das on Saturday performed the ground-breaking ceremony of Chapri-Rakha concentrator plant and reopened the Rakha mines of the Hindustan Copper Ltd (HCL) in Ghatshila.Speaking on the occasion, Das said resumption of commercial activity at the HCL plant will revive the economy of the copper town. He said, "I was also a worker once, hence I can feel the pain of the workers when a plant is closed abruptly." The chief minister also hailed the HCL management for the decision to reopen the mines and resume operations and urged them to put in sincere efforts in making the country an exporter of copper in years to come. He said shortage of copper ore in India has often necessitated the country to import the mineral from the other countries.Das also told the HCL officials, "Come to me in Ranchi without any hesitation if you face troubles and I will extend all possible support in ensuring that the plant runs smoothly."The Rakha mine, which is a unit of Indian Copper Complex (ICC) of HCL located at Musaboni in Ghatshila was launched in 1971 and production started in 1977-76. But the commercial activity of the mine was closed abruptly in 2001, apparently due to substantial slump in the demand for copper, both in domestic and global markets. HCL decided to resume operations at the mines after the demand for copper is high now.The production capacity of Rakha and Chapri mines is 1.50 metric tonnes per day each, while the capacity of the concentrator plant of Rakha and Chapri will also be 1.50 metric tonne in the first phase but it will be doubled in the second phase. The state had allocated 90-acre land to HCL for the Chapri and Rakha concentrator plant.With the reopening of the mine, the company will provide 8,000 jobs, directly and indirectly. HCL is also investing Rs 1,400 crore for resuming the operationsGradual improvement in the demand for copper made HCL reopen its Surda mine in 2008 in two phases and and the Kendadih mines in December, 2017. In the next two years, the public sector unit will reopen its Pathargoda and Kishangaria mines.

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