The national expert team at Bokaro Steel Plant. Picture by Pankaj Sin gh

Bokaro, Jan. 17: Bhilai Steel has won the prestigious Prime Minister’s trophy a record seven times and Tata Steel four times.

But Bokaro Steel Plant has failed to win the coveted trophy, given to the best integrated steel plant of the country, even once. Officials of Bokaro Steel Plant tried their best to win over the national team of experts that came to assess various wings of the plant for 2006-07. The team concluded their visit today.

The experts, including Raj V. Ponnaluri, B. Gururaj, J.C. Aylawadi and S.K. Ghosh, along with the nodal officer, M.M. Singh, visited steel shops, hospitals, welfare schools and interacted with the senior officer, including managing director of the plant V.K. Srivastav.

The nine best steel plants in the country, which are in the fray for the trophy, are Bhilai Steel Plant, Rourkela Steel, Durgapur Steel, IISCO, Burnpur and Bokaro Steel Plant (all belonging to SAIL), Tata Steel, Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited, Essar Steel, Ispat group of Steel and Jindal Steel.

The team of expert judges an unit on the basis of process criteria, leadership quality, policy and strategy, resources, partnership and social responsibilities being carried by the steel giants.

The assessors who ended their two-day visit today held parleys with the experts of various wings, including executive director Jivesh Mishra, executive director (project) and K.L. Devangan also.

Earlier, two senior managers of the plant, Sanjay Tewary and Vinita Singh, presented the achievement of the steel giant in 2006-07, giving reasons why the plant deserves the trophy.

After having discussion on partnership and resources criteria, leadership and policy and assessment of the people criteria the team returned back to Calcutta this afternoon.

The chief of communications, Basant Thakur, told The Telegraph that the visiting team of experts was quite satisfied by the presentations.