India: 1200 protestors, including workers, residents, social activists and trade union members, marched to the West Singhbhum Deputy Commissioner’s office in Chaibasa, Jharkhand, on 1 July 2026 to demand government action against the closure of ACC’s cement plant at Jhinkpani. The plant is slated to close its gates for the final time on 16 August 2026. The company has cited depletion of limestone reserves, rising clinker production costs and the ‘ageing, inefficient’ state of the the plant as causing it to become uneconomic to operate.
The Jhinkpani plant has been gradually winding down operations over the past few months. Cement production was suspended on 1 April 2026, after clinker supplies from the company’s Bargarh and Sindri units ended on 31 March 2026. Production halted completely on 3 May 2026, when the plant’s 15MW captive power plant also shut down.
“The closure of the cement plant will spell doom for Chaibasa, which has largely depended on its successful operation,” said local social worker Ramesh Balmuchu. An employee, Birbal Gope, said the shutdown will directly impact nearly 1500 workers, including 74 permanent staff. He estimated that 50,000 people depend directly or indirectly on the plant for livelihood.
Workers and residents announced plans for a march to the Jharkhand state government building in Ranchi in August 2026 in a further appeal to prevent the plant’s closure.