MUMBAI, May 5 -- The state government on Monday said it had secured the approval needed to hand over 937 hectares of reserved forest and protected forest land in Gadchiroli district to Lloyds Metals and Energy Limited (LMEL) for the expansion of its steel plant. LMEL, which has been mining and producing steel in Gadchiroli since 2023, will use the land to mine low-grade iron. The company operates a plant on 700 hectares in Gadchiroli, and the additional 937 hectares will aid its expansion, an officer from the state mining department said. In 2024, LMEL said it needed the additional forest land for its expansion plans. In February last year, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced an ambitious plan to develop Naxal-affected Gadchiroli dis...