Bengal searching for chemical hub consensus

Bengal government is still working on building a consensus on the site of the proposed chemical hub, which needs to be set up somewhere near Haldia port, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said today.

The Centre had agreed to set up 3-4 chemical hubs in the country during a representation meeting with state governments in which 8 states had participated, Bhattacharjee said at a CII seminar here.

"Bengal's representation was of top class and the consultant appointed for advising on the site recommended the site to be near Haldia port," Bhattacharjee said.

The chief minister said the chemical hub with Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) as the anchor investor will help in creation of downstream industries and generate employment opportunities.

Bhattacharjee said the state is yet to get replies from the opposition on the issue of a consensus site for the chemical hub.

On the issue of the trouble in Nandigram, the chief minister said, "Enough is enough..before we could convince the people in Nandigram, the opposition was successful in misleading the people in the area. We have already announced shifting of the project from Nandigram and have sent letters to the opposition seeking their consent on a consensus site."

In order to stop spillover of the land war in Nandigram to Mahishadal, Bhattacharjee had said his government was yet to decide on a special economic zone in Mahishadal despite the Centre's in-principle approval for one.

"Although the Centre has given in-principle approval, we have not taken any decision regarding an SEZ in Mahishadal,'' Bhattacharjee said.

According to industry officials, 2,500-acre SEZ by Ramky Infrastructure Ltd would be for pharmaceutical and biotech industries. It was planned in Mahishadal as part of the proposed Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemical Investment Region (PCPIR).

The government is holding talks with the central petroleum and chemicals ministries over the proposed mega chemical hub. But there was no decision on downstream investors.

Downstream investors "" in this case, companies in the biotech zone "" source material from the principal project, the mega chemical hub, the sources said.