Trying Many Alleys

Trying Many Alleys Hansavivek TATA CHEMICALS received industrial licence to expand soda ash capacity from 600 to 1,000 tonnes a day, about two years after it had applied for it. Even so, the industrial licence, the MRTP clearance, and the import licences, are "ridden with some onerous conditions" which the company had to accept "if its growth and the country's and consumers' interests were to be safeguarded". In view of the acute shortage of soda ash resulting in a "flourishing black market" and need for import, the company is taking steps to implement the expansion programme as rapidly as possible. Meanwhile, in response to the government's notification , inviting applications for the creation of additional capacity, the company applied for permission to further expand capacity from 360,000 tonnes to 500,000 tonnes per annum. II the application is cleared quickly, the company will be able get the further expansion integrated into the current programme. The company has also applied for expansion of its chlor-caus- tic facility at Mithapur to 50 tonnes per day of caustic soda (equivalent), in id has proposed to utilise the co-produced chlorine in a manner that will lead to the manufacture of phosphoric acid and phosphates of sodium.