| In restrospect, Reliance Retail's decision to ask its franchisees in West Bengal to sack 400 odd employees taken on for its yet-to be-opened Reliance Fresh stores is not without logic, more because of the unyielding stand of some of the Left Front allies. |
| Naren Chaterjee, the firebrand Forward Bloc leader, who also heads the state's agricultural produce and marketing committee (APMC) on Thursday told Business Standard that any attempt by any retail chain, be it national or international, to open any facility in the state will have to face political protests and also stern punishment from his department. |
| He categorically mentioned that the APMC will not give licences to any retail chain seeking permission to undertake direct procurement of fruits and vegetables from farmers. |
| He said that the APMC act will no be amended in the state. |
| "No APMC licence will be given to any organised retail chain. Multinationals retailers will not be allowed to enter the state. The APMC act is not going to be amended," he said. |
| He said the state will defy the Centre which is pushing the state to amend the act. |
| In fact, all the secretaries of the four government departments concerned in West Bengal are racking their brains to come to a consensus on the provisions of the amended act. |
| It was expected to be formalised by the end of August but has missed the deadline. |
| The comments threaten to deliver a fresh setback to the German retail chain Metro, which has just got approval from the Alipore district civil court to resume construction work at its distribution centre on the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass in Kolkata. |
| Metro plans to appoint nearly 325 employees for the facility immediately. |
| Incidentally, the land for the distribution centre was leased out to Metro by the state government and its industrial development corporation. |
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