Nagaland: Private investor takes over Wazeho Mini Cement Plant

March 6, 2025 12 Views No Comment

Our Correspondent
Kohima | March 6

Since January 2025, a private investor has reportedly taken over the operation of the Mini Cement Plant (MCP) in Wazeho, under Meluri district.

A private investor “finally” took over the MCP in January 2025 after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), according to the Annual Administrative Report (AAR) 2024-2025 of the Nagaland State Mineral Development Corporation (NSDMC) Ltd, tabled by Nagaland Chief Minister Dr. Neiphiu Rio at the sixth session of the 14th Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) in Kohima on March 4.

This is the second public sector undertaking in Nagaland to be taken over by private entities after remaining inoperative or defunct for years. The first was the Nagaland Pulp & Paper Corporation Limited (NPPCL), or Tuli Paper Mill, which was taken over by 3A Capital Services Limited (3ACSL), resulting in the Government’s share falling from 12% to 3.51%.

Meanwhile, the NSDMC’s AAR provided limited details regarding the privatisation of the Wazeho MCP, such as the name of the new owner or other details of the MoU.

The report only outlined the background leading to the MoU signing, highlighting that earlier the State Government had decided to modernise and upgrade the 50 TPD (Tons per day) Wazeho MCP to 150 TPD by adding plant and machinery for an additional 100 TPD.

This was completed and inaugurated on June 27, 2008, it added, without further elaboration.

A report by the Nagaland Legislative Assembly’s Committee on Public Undertakings (COPU), presented during the 7th session of the 13th NLA on February 15, 2021, offered clearer details, stating that while the plant was in operation until 2003, it remained inactive thereafter following the State Government’s decision to upgrade of the plant to 150 TPD. It was successfully completed in 2006.

The COPU then had recommended that the plant be “operated/run” by the State Government rather than being privatised, noting that the government had the “manpower and calibre” to run the MCP and that it had “great potential to generate revenue for the State.” However, this recommendation did not appear to have been acted upon.

According to the NSDMC AAR 2024-25, following the State Government’s policy to privatise the MCP, the NSDMC issued advertisements in national and local newspapers, with many private companies expressing interest in taking over the plant on lease, though none of these efforts materialised.

“Nevertheless, the process of privatisation of the MCP was kept open, and a private investor has finally taken over the Mini Cement Plant since January 2025 after signing the MoU,” the report added.

Other operations
The report also highlighted that the Corporation is currently operating a Decorative & Dimensional Stone Plant involved in quarry development and the extraction of limestone blocks in Wazeho.

Using the extracted limestone blocks, the unit produces a variety of products, such as slabs, monoliths, and artefacts, including stone benches, sofas, and various other stone tables and utility items. The production capacity of the plant is currently 300 square feet per day, it added.

Due to the demand for products in and around Wazeho, the NSDMC is also operating a Concrete Block Making Machine Unit in Wazeho, the report informed.

The Corporation is also in the process of relocating the Decorative & Dimensional Stone Plant (DDSP) from Chümoukedima to the Ganesh Nagar Industrial Growth Centre, following a State Government policy decision, it said. A Concrete/Hollow Block Making Unit at DDSP Ganesh Nagar was proposed to the State Government and subsequently approved and sanctioned during 2020-22, the report noted. Following this, a fully automatic block making machine was installed, and the DDSP Ganesh Nagar currently produces pavers and hollow blocks, it added.

To promote and facilitate mineral-based industries in the State by utilising locally available resources, the NSDMC has taken steps to conduct entrepreneurship development programmes and training in mineral trades such as stone engraving, concrete block making, and tile making.

The construction of a Mineral Industry Growth Centre at the Industrial Infrastructure Development Centre (IIDC), Kiruphema, was completed during the 2022-23 period, and it is currently producing concrete hollow blocks, load-bearing paver blocks, and chequered tiles, as stated in the report.