The British Deputy High Commissioner in Kolkata today rapped the West Bengal government’s inability in augmenting the infrastructure, as well as addressing issues related to education, health, sanitation, climate change and pollution.
With six weeks left in office, Simon Wilson, said, “There are massive issues which need to be addressed in order to attract investments from not only overseas companies but from inside India. Chief among them is augmenting infrastructure, the state of roads, ports, and airports are pretty bad.” He was speaking at an interactive session organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce.
He specifically lambasted the Haldia Dock authority for the lacunae in augmenting its infrastructure.
“The congestion difficulties and the problem of dredging at Haldia port has been identified. It’s a big issue for Kolkata, but things don't seem to happen as it should. The chief minister has also spoken on these issues. I have visited the port, but nothing is being done. If Haldia port dies, Kolkata will be in bad shape. While the ports of neighbouring state Orissa are modernised and kept up to date to handle greater tonnage, Haldia port continues to be stagnant,” he said.
In order to attract investment the state should augment its infrastructure and lessen bureacratic hassles in starting a business, he categorically added.
This apart, he criticised the poor state of roads and intercity connectivity.
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The state of roads linking two cities were also pitiable and not up to mark, for example road to Murshidabad or thelikes,he said.
Besides some massive projects of urban development had made little progress, like the river front development project or the upgrade of sewage system and the like.
“The government has tried many things, but has not done much,” said Wilson.
He also referred to the Left Front's poll results as a 360 degree change in the political dynamics of the state.
“This was an amazing turnaround. The next few years would be crucial.I arrived in Kolkata on the eve of CPI(M)’s landslide victory in the state assembly election in 2006. Who would have thought that the political dynamics would change 360 degreesin three years,” said Wilson.
He also added that the decisive verdict of the people in the recent election would help form a ‘stable’ Central government, which would be able to implement policies with less interruptions from parties with ideological differences.
“It has been frustrating at times during the past few years to see an administartion in Delhi keen to push through a growth agenda only to be stifled by bickering within a fractured coalition. However, with a more cohesive coalition and partners who are unlikely to have radically divergent idealistic outlook, we expect better implementation of policies,” said Wilson.
Apart from infrastructure the state, has also not publicised and promoted itself as a tourism hub compared to Rajasthan and Kerala.Roughly one million tourists come to India but 95 per cent go to Rajasthan. Pointing out that while states like Rajasthan and Kerala have taken steps forward to promote and invest in tourism, the UK Deputy High Commissioner said that Bengal had been lagging behind, with no concrete marketing strategies.