The mandate of paribartan (change) that brought Mamata Banerjee to the chief minister’s office in West Bengal seems to have taken a beating. Even as she completes six months at the helm, criticism is flying thick and fast in entrepreneurial circles here. While unwilling to openly say so, businessmen appear disillusioned with her style of administration. The new government, they say, is plagued by issues of inexperience, delay and also corruption.
For a city-based builder, growing corruption has meant an erosion of the faith he had put in Banerjee. “Bribery seems to have become part of the project approval discussions. It seems to have become expected and accepted. Also, earlier, where the work would be done with token cash transactions, the asking rates have seen a significant increase,” he said.
The picture, he says, is a stark contrast to the promise of utopia Banerjee had painted. For approval on a 15,000 sq ft project expected to sell for Rs 75 crore, the asking rate is Rs 50 lakh. “This is a manifold rise in what one would have to spend earlier,” the builder said.
The problem, says another businessman, is that the party is not regimented and there is no discipline. “Mamata is trying to do a lot of things. But, this is not how governance works. There needs to be delegation of authority. Also, there is no control over the lower rungs, who are trying to milk the opportunity for all they can,” he said.
Another problem, says M K Jalan, chairman of the Rs 1,100-crore Kolkata-based Keventer Group, is that the government seems to be floundering with a lack of intent. “Discussions happen, but these seem to have become increasingly one-sided, where industry is expected to present its views, but there is no response or action from the government,” Jalan said.
Some, however, feel it is too soon to pass a judgment. “I think six months is too short a time to call her a failure. I would give her more time to prove her points. But, yes, despite her best efforts, the state has seen zero investments in the past six months, possibly due to her land policies,” said Sandipan Chakraborty, president, Bengal Chamber of Commerce.
He said part of Banerjee’s problems emanate from the fact that her team does not have enough leaders to execute change. “It is necessary for successful governance that there is effective delegation of authority. This appears to be missing in Banerjee’s administration,” he explained.
