Bhubaneswar, May 15: Chairman-cum-managing director of the Posco-India Yong Won Yoon tomorrow will visit the state.

During his visit, an effort to push the 12 million tonnes steel project, Yoon will meet chief minister Naveen Patnaik and take a final call on the fate of the project.

Yoon’s visit comes after 14 days of the South Korean ambassador Kim Joong Keun meeting with the Naveen Patnaik. During his visit to the state, the envoy had vented his frustration over delay in the implementation of what has come to be regarded as India’s biggest foreign direct investment proposal.

Odisha industries minister Raghunath Mohanty today said: “Posco authorities are planning to reduce the production capacity of the plant. They no more require 4,004 acres. If the Posco authorities give a formal proposal, it will be considered and all action will be taken to renew the MoU.”

The MoU of the Posco-India with the state government to set up the project has already been expired since June 2010. The works came to a halt on December 19 last year following violence between the supporters and the opponents of the project.

In another development, Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti convenor Abhay Sahu said: “A protest meeting with be organised at the proposed site on Wednesday.”

Officials said the Posco-India is desperate to save the project as the prospect of getting captive iron ore mines — Khandadhar mines in Sundergarh district — is crucial to the fate of the steel mill. The state government has already recommended for the prospecting licence for the Khandadhar mines in favour of the Posco-India. Even the National Green Tribunal on March 30 suspended environment clearance to the project, which would also be contested now.

However, the state government may find itself in a sticky situation as all its attempts to push the project have come a cropper.

Several officers of the state government have faced action for not being able to push the project.

Now, steel and mines secretary D.K. Singh will assist Naveen during the discussion. In the past seven years, the state government has transferred nearly a dozen officers, starting with district collectors, additional district magistrates and even the secretaries of the steel and mines department involved with the project.

Even the former nodal officer for the project, Priyabrata Patnaik, had to be shifted. No replacement for him has been found till date. The government hurriedly transferred steel and mines secretary Manoj Ahuja after Keun vented his frustration over the government’s performance in executing the project.

Before Ahuja, L.N. Gupta, Ashok Dalwai and Bhaskar Chatterjee had worked as the secretary of the department. On the other hand, the government in the past seven years has changed as many as four district collectors in Jagatsinghpur district.