Even as uncertainty continues to prevail over the fate of Posco’s mega steel project near Paradip, the State Government has maintained that the ball is in the Centre’s court with regard to raw material linkage for the South Korean firm. According to Steel and Mines minister Prafulla Kumar Mallick, the State Government has complied with all the queries of the Centre regarding its recommendation of prospecting licence (PL) in favour of Posco. The last letter of request to the Centre on giving PL was issued on November 1 last year. There has been no response so far from the Centre on the request for PL in favour of Posco. The State has not imposed any condition for the company, Mallick said. The State Government on January 9, 2009 had recommended 2,500 hectares of the Khandadhar iron ore reserve in Sundargarh district for Posco, he pointed out in the State Assembly. The Centre had, however, sought more information from the State on its recommendation in favour of Posco on January 30, 2014. The Centre wanted clarification from the State based on a March 10, 2013 judgement of the Supreme Court, Mallick said. The Steel and Mines Department on March 6, 2014, submitted all information to the Centre. The Minister also said the Centre on October 10, 2014 wanted the State to submit separate proposals on notified and non-notified areas in the Khandadhar iron ore reserve. “The State Government in its reply on November 1, 2014 has requested to accord PL to Posco over 2,082.502 hectares of notified area of Khandadhar iron ore reserve,” Mallick said, adding the State is yet to get any reply from the Centre. He said the State Government has been in negotiation with the Centre over according PL to Posco over the Khandadhar iron ore reserve instead of putting it on auction. “This is because the State Government had recommended PL in favour of Posco much before the MMDR (Amendment) Bill, 2015, getting nod of Parliament,” the Minister pointed out. Claiming that the State Government is committed towards the Posco project, Mallick said permission has been granted to the company to use water from the Hansua Nullha in Jagatsinghpur district while constructing the project and use Mahanadi water from Jobra in Cuttack for use in the proposed plant.