10 March 2008
Arcelor Mittal Steel operating in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County has embarked on series of development initiatives in the city aimed at improving some of the damaged infrastructures left behind by LAMCO.
The company Senior Supervisor Vlado Jurcic over the weekend took Journalists on a guided tour of the company operations in Buchanan, Siahn Town other areas.
He said the tour was to silence their critics that the company was only sitting in Buchanan and doing nothing to improve the lives and conditions of the citizens and the wrecks left behind by LAMCO and other companies that operated in the areas prior to their coming.
Journalists visited some damaged railways few kilometers outside Buchanan, where rehabilitation and modernization works of the railways are taking place for immediate use by the company.
Mr. Jurcic said the rehabilitation of the rails will facilitate connection with the Yekepa station. Besides the rehabilitation of the railways, Mittal Steel said it has also brought in two high rail vehicles with dual capacity that will be used by the company on the railways for traveling from Buchanan to the Yekepa station.
He told journalists that 12 additional high rail pickups are expected in April for transport. In the Loop, rehabilitation of several damaged infrastructure and rails buried by the Oriental Timber Company were taking place.
At the Liberia Agriculture Company, Mittal Steel is reconditioning a 220 km road from LAC to Ganta at a cost US$2.2 million.
"From Buchanan to Ganta is 260 km. We will rehabilitate the road from LAC to Ganta, which is 220 km. LAC will also rehabilitate the 40 km road linking LAC to Buchanan", he disclosed.
In Buchanan, Mittal Steel Reresentative, Robert Ferguson, said for the ongoing road rehabilitation from LAC to Ganta, the company hired former Liberian firms - Westwood, SSF Corporation, Gray Construction Co. and Genesis Corporation as a way of empowering local expertise.
He noted that Mittal Steel will pave the 72 km road Yekepa - Ganta. He said major rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure will continue until all of them are replaced with new equipment.
"We've started full skill operation in Buchanan and have recruited some qualified Liberians not only from Bassa but from other place based on merits," Mr. Ferguson added.
He disclosed that a ship is expected at the end of March at the Buchanan port to bringing in equipment that will facilitate the company full skill operation.
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AcelorMittal/Mittal Steel should really come up with the facts about the work status on the railroad line from Nimba to Bassa because it is still damaged beyond repairs and require urgent replacement: the wooden rail tiles are all completely rotten; the crushed rocks which drained rain water are all buried in the soil and of no use anymore as grass, bushes and trees are grown on the line all the way from Bassa to Nimba. A clear spot to see all of this is the bridge on the Tappita-Ganta highway, where you see nothing but rotten rail tiles, bushes and small trees growing. So with the rail road like that I wonder how can one put a rail car on such a line? Thanks for the space. Its Prince Sie
What do you really expect of this Mittal Steel? Do you think they came back with any good intention this time around? In the frist place, when you have a president who calls herself "GO-BAR-CHOP" is begging around the world and getting good money. She is not constructing roads, but patching the pot holes. Surely, you will get dusty roads from Mittal Steel.
TO: ARCELOR MITTAL STEEL 1st Nov. 2008. FROM: BROADVIEW SERVICES SUBJECT: YOUR PRESENCE IN GRAND BASSA COUNTY, LIBERIA.
WE WELCOME YOU TO THE NATION'S SECOND COUNTY WITH OPEN HEARTS. IN LIKE MANNER, WE WOULD APPRECIATE WERE YOU TO COME IN AND OPERATE WITH AN OPEN HEART ALSO.
WE WOULD ALSO LIKE FOR ANY DEVELOPMENT THAT YOU WOULD CARRY ON SHOULD BE ONE THAT WOULD BE LONG LASTING. SUCH AS THE ROADS DEVELOPMENT. WE WOULD APPRECIATE WERE YOU TO FIX THE ROADS WITH SOLID COALTAR AND NOT JUST THE OLD WAY OF SMOOTHING THE DUSTY ROADS AND THEN SAY YOU HAVE FIXED ROADS. PLEASE TRY AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE SO THAT YOUR NAME AS THE WORLD'S LARGEST PRODUCER OF STEEL CAN BE AN EXAMPLE. MAKE THE PEOPLE TO LOVE YOU. BUILD MODERN HOSPITALS AND SCHOOLS FOR YOUR WORKERS AND THEIR FAMILIES TO BENEFIT FROM. ALSO, MAKE SURE TO PROPERLY PAVE THE ROAD ENTERING BUCHANAN THROUGH TUBMAN STREET UP TO THE COMPANY AREA. IN THIS, I ASK THE GOVERMENT AND CITIZENS TO PLEASE ALLOW SPACE FOR THIS. NOTFORGETTING, MAKE SHORT AND LONG TERM EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS; VOCATIONAL, POLY-TECHNICAL, COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY LEVEL. THIS WAY, THE LIBERIANS WOULD BE ABLE TO HELP MAINTAIN THAT WHICH YOU WOULD BE STARTING. DON'T FORGET THE SEA EROSION HITTING BUCHANAN. DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT AND ALSO MODERNIZE THE SEA PORTS IN BUCHANAN.
LAST, BUT NOT THE LEAST, PLEASE PAY OUR PEOPLE WELL! THANKS, NFLO, aka NLJ.
we the bassa association of thailand are totally against mittal steel dusty road development project,iron ore is a hot comodity in the world market presently,we liberian should,nt sit the and allow mittal steel company to make fool of us,not because we want investor to come to liberia, so we must give our resource free,what kind of insult is that,you take my resource and give me dusty road.we liberian are not stupid,we want our government to authorise mittal steel to carry out real development,not dusty road,we want all our road to be pave,these people take our resource to develop their country and give us dusty road.we go to india to buy anything we pay in cash,and don,t tell them stories,they give us their condition and we abide by them, so the government must think wisely.