Agitation over land acquisition is hampering West Bengal government's plans to set up Dankuni truck terminal that can create over 10 lakh new jobs when operational, Transport Minister Subhas Chakraborty said today.
Replying to questions in the Assembly, he said the terminal would be set up on 150 acre of land spread along four mouzas in the Dankuni area of Hooghly district. With accommodation for 10,000 trucks, it would also have godowns, petrol pumps, banks and hotels.
Once the terminal becomes operational, it would require three lakh smaller trucks to carry the cargo into the city, and with each vehicle employing four persons, 12 lakh additional jobs would be created, the minister said.
Without naming Singur, Chakraborty said, work for the Dankuni project suffered a setback following the anti-land acquisition agitations over nearly two years.
Noting that the government had also acquired some land at Rajarhat and three more areas in the outskirts for setting truck terminals, Chakraborty said the work could not be taken forward owing to misunderstanding among the people following the anti-land acquisition agitations.
He appealed to the political parties for a mature and sensitive outlook on land acquisition for development.
