Aravali Gypsum signs pact with Himachal Govt to establish Nohradhar White Cement Plant :

1. Under its diversification programme, FCI Aravali Gypsum and Minerals India Limited has taken up a project to establish a white cement plant near village NohraDhar in Sirmour district, Himachal Pradesh, at a project cost of approximately Rs. 605 crores.

2. Nohradhar White Cement Plant will be the 4th white cement plant in the country. The installed capacity of the Nohradhar White Cement Plant would be 0.3 million tonnes per annum and it will generate the direct employment of approximately 150 persons. Other three are : 1. J K White Cement Plant, Gortan, Rajasthan 2. Birla white, Katni Plant Jharela, M.P. 3. J.K. white cement works, Chandigarh.

3. The plant is expected to be commenced by the year 2022. It will prove to be a milestone for the development of the Sirmour District.

4. FCI Aravali Gypsum and Minerals India Limited is a Government of India Undertaking, under the administrative control of Department of Fertilizers, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India. It is engaged in mining and marketing of mineral gypsum in Rajasthan. It’s Miniratna-II Company having its registered office at Jodhpur (Rajasthan) has 15 operating gypsum mines in Rajasthan. It started its operations from 01-04-2003 and during the last 15 years, it has increased its net worth by 3248%.

5. The plant was identified in 1983 and after over three decades of battling with red-tape, still it seems of taking more time to set up as land acquisition could prove little cumbersome as local residents of Nohradhar area have objected the plant.

6. It’s worth mentioning that local people of the Nohradhar village and other surrounding villages are against the cement plant. Claiming of adverse impact on the nearby Churdhar Wildlife Sanctuary, local residents fearing of adverse ecological impact in the region.

7. Local residents has already cautioned to protest against the plant. Citing example of unprecedented pollution around the Darlaghat region of the Solan district where cement plant is accused for the pollution, Nohradhar residents also feared for the same fate.

White Cement :

White cement is same as that of grey Portland cement but the only differ is in the colour and fineness. This colour of this cement is determined by its raw materials and the process of manufacture. White cement is a value-added product that can be used instead of grey cement for its heat-reflecting properties and superior aesthetic appearance.

Uses of White Cement :

• Used for prestige construction projects and decorative works.
• Used for coloured concrete with the use of inorganic pigments to produce brightly coloured concretes and mortars.
• Due to its whiteness, it finds its application in architectural beauty, interior and exterior decorations, floorings, ornamental concrete products such as idols while grey cement is mostly used for construction purposes.
• Used in roads due the property of high reflectiveness to add visibility to highway medians.
• White cement is also used in a high amount for manufacturing precast members. Beautiful precast members are made utilising the white Portland cement.
• They are also used widely for making cast stones of appealing appearance.
• White cement is comparatively a costly cement type and is, therefore, used only selectively.