Even as the West Bengal government has drafted an ambitious textiles policy with the vision to create ten lakh jobs by 2012, the proposed textiles park by the Chamber of Textile Trade and Industry (Cotti) has been stalled for more almost two years in the wake of land related issues.
While the state government has identified 100 acre land for the park in Howrah district , it is yet to be alloted to Cotti, as it is stuck due to litigation.
Cotti will not get Scheme for Integrated Textile Parks (SITP) grant from the Union government, unless it has the land in its possession.
If approved, the park will get a maximum of 40 per cent infrastructure cost, or Rs 40 crore, whichever is lower, as grant.
The land identified for the park, which will bring in an investment of Rs 500 crore, has been stuck due to litigation, said sources. The policy also aims to create a "robust textile infrastructure in the state by setting up 20 integrated textile/apparel/hosiery parks, three jute parks, 50 additional handloom clusters, silk parks together with one Integrated Silk Processing and Printing Complex (SPPC) and an ultra-modern integrated textile township in the state, the first of its kind in the country, during the next five years.
The infrastructure will be developed in public-private partnership." The policy also aims to double the existing handloom output and attain an export level of 10 per cent of fabric turnover, enhance the number of active powerlooms in West Bengal to 20,000, thereby increasing the powerloom output by at least 300 per cent to reach 180 million meters by the year 2012. The policy also aims to increase the existing readymade garments output of 400 million pieces of woven wear and 90 million pieces of knitted garments in the state by 300 per cent, and to double the readymade garments export from West Bengal.
