Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Plant

[1] It was started as the Mysore Iron Works on 18 January 1923 by Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar and his Diwan Sir M Visvesvaraya.

[4] The Iron Works were started by Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar, the king of Mysore, under the guidance of his Diwan, Sir M Visvesvaraya.

This investigation was done by a New York based firm who explored the possibility of manufacturing pig iron with the use of charcoal fuel.

To start with, a wood distillation plant for manufacturing charcoal and blast furnace for smelting iron were set up in the factory.

In 1939, the Shimoga-Talguppa railway line was laid, using wood from the Malnad forests were transported to this plant, to be used as a fuel in its furnaces.

But the increased production could not be turned into a profit-making business and except for the years 1928 and 1929, the company encountered losses during this period.

[6] On 31 July 2003, ten workers in the factory died due to a blast which occurred when leaking water accidentally got mixed with hot molten steel.