Despite a short-term $50 million cash injection to keep the mines running, the multibillion-dollar steel producer is yet to make public its long-term plans for the two Illawarra mines.

Workers have received three weeks' wages, and talks between Jindal and the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union to resolve past unpaid wages and superannuation entitlements are ongoing.

Gujarat gets advice from insider trader

When these and other Gujarat NRE debts will be paid remains to be seen, but many in the Illawarra seem confident the money will be forthcoming with the company in Jindal's hands.

Gujarat and Jindal management declined to comment on any future plans for the Illawarra company when approached by the Mercury this week.

However, Jindal Steel's global chief executive officer and managing director, Ravi Uppal, has been in Wollongong mixing with union officials and Illawarra MPs.

His presence, and key role in Gujarat negotiations, would suggest the Indian company is serious about its new Illawarra investments.

Before Jindal's takeover of Gujarat was confirmed, Mr Uppal told Indian newspaper the Business Standard his firm planned to use coal reserves from the Gujarat mines to sustain steel operations as it expands to become India's third largest steel producer by 2015.

Jindal Steel and Power is certainly a major global player in the coal market, with interests in India, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America and Queensland.

According to its website and annual report, the global conglomerate is worth $US3.5 billion.

Company chairman Naveen Jindal has a carefully honed image as one of India's brightest young entrepreneurs and, as a member of the Congress Party government, is known as one of the country's most patriotic parliamentarians.

On his personal website, he describes himself as a "crusader for the Indian national flag, an advocate of [sic] women and child rights, a philanthropist, a parliamentarian, a politician, a successful industrialist, and a sportsman par excellence".

Mr Jindal has a Texas university school named after him, and was last year appointed chairman of industry group the Australia-India CEO Forum.

He has represented India in shooting, is a champion polo player and appears to be widely adored by voters - including farmers and villagers - in the Kurukshetra district of the Indian state of Haryana.

However, this carefully crafted image has been shaken by several controversies in recent years.

Since late last year, Mr Jindal and his steel empire have been embroiled in a high-profile political scandal the Indian media has dubbed "Coalgate".

In June, Mr Jindal was charged over allegations he bribed two government officials in order to buy coal blocks - similar to Australian coalmining licences - at below-market price.

According to a Fairfax Media report, officers from India's Central Bureau of Investigation raided his Delhi home and offices.

He was reportedly charged with criminal misconduct, conspiracy and cheating.

The Fairfax report said police alleged that former junior coal minister Dasari Narayan Rao was paid kickbacks in exchange for allocating coal licences at below-market cost to several large Indian firms.

The police case reportedly accused Mr Jindal's company of paying 22.5 million rupees ($410,000) to Mr Rao, in the form of an investment into Mr Rao's own company, within a year of the mining minister awarding a coal block to Mr Jindal.

Police alleged Mr Jindal bought shares in Mr Rao's company, paying nearly four times what they were worth, the Fairfax report said.

Mr Jindal's company acquired 11 coal licences from the government between 2006 and 2009, but he has maintained all were allotted on merit.

According to the Times of India, Mr Jindal was questioned by the investigation bureau in late September.

Then this week, numerous Indian news sources reported Jindal Steel was one of 11 companies which would have to give up their coal blocks following a government investigation.

However, it is believed a final decision is yet to be made by the government.

Soon after Coalgate first hit the Indian headlines, Jindal Steel became caught up in a separate scandal, centring around extortion allegations involving popular Hindi television network Zee News.

It came to a head in September last year, when Mr Jindal attended a conference in Delhi and was vigorously questioned about the coal scandal by a Zee News crew.

Footage shown by Zee News appears to show the agitated billionaire pushing the camera aside.

Zee News then alleged on-air that he had "manhandled" its reporter.

A month later, Mr Jindal hit back by releasing 15 minutes of secretly filmed footage purportedly showing Zee News's business editors demanding one billion rupees ($17.3 million) in advertising to drop its investigation into the coal block scandal.

The network then launched a counter claim, saying it was Mr Jindal who offered a bribe on condition the channel did not air reports about the company's alleged involvement in Coalgate.

Zee News's editors were arrested and reportedly kept in custody for several days last December.

Before Jindal Steel's stoush with Zee News hit fever pitch, tensions were already simmering between the two organisations over the network's coverage of allegations made by an activist, Ramesh Agrawal.

As a land rights activist in the state of Chhattisgarh - where Jindal Steel operates several mines and steel plants - Mr Agarwal has been a long time campaigner against companies allegedly violating environmental laws.

In May 2010, he raised concerns Jindal had started work on a power plant in a town called Tamnar without the correct environmental clearance.

According to Amnesty International, his complaint caused the Indian environment ministry to "temporarily suspend the terms of reference" for the power project.

Mr Agarwal was arrested in 2011, following a criminal defamation complaint filed by Jindal.

He spent about 60 days in jail before being released by the Supreme Court.

Then in April last year, the Indian environment regulator acted on one of Mr Agarwal's complaints by cancelling Jindal Steel's environmental clearance for a coalmine in Tamnar.

In July 2012, Mr Agarwal was shot in the leg and hospitalised.

Faced with allegations the shooting was linked to his clash with Jindal Steel, a company spokesperson told The Hindu newspaper last year: "This is a very unfortunate incident. We strongly condemn this act of violence. We deny the allegations and have nothing to do with this incident."

Regardless of its colourful past in India, there is no doubt Illawarra residents hope Jindal's presence here is a positive one.

While the Indian company has taken over Gujarat's two mines to much fanfare, it remains to be seen what type of corporate citizen it will turn out to be.

Fittingly, in a speech to NSW Parliament on Thursday night, Shellharbour MP Anna Watson urged residents not to give away their trust too easily as had happened when former Gujarat chairman Arun Jagatramka arrived in town full of promises.

"It should be a clear lesson to the Illawarra region ... not to be hoodwinked by larger-than-life characters," she said.

"It is good for a region to have a healthy scepticism about its business leaders."