Mamata Banerjee says she plans to equip West Bengal to lead the country’s next revolution in manufacturing over the next 200 days. Her priority list. Once this is done, a major part of the implementation would happen over the next 1,000 days.
An industrial hub in each district, seven new airports, a second international airport, the revival of closed public sector units, 17 centres of excellence, are just some of the steps she plans. Banerjee would also use her clout at the Centre to negotiate for coal and iron ore linkages in the next six months, which the Left Front-led West Bengal government failed to do in the past three years.
There would be scope for investment on all fronts. Banerjee has said her government would promote West Bengal as an ideal tourist destination, for which the sky is the limit, considering the endeavour is to convert Darjeeling and adjoining Alipurduar area into the ‘Switzerland of the East’ and Digha into ‘Goa of the East Coast’. The state’s infrastructure facilities, including the power sector, would get a facelift.
Some of the projects planned by the Left Front would take off in Banerjee's tenure. For instance, construction of JSW Steel's 10 million-tonne steel plant is expected to commence soon. “We will accelerate our Bengal project, which will be our focus now,” JSW Steel Joint Managing Director and Group Chief Financial Officer, Seshagiri Rao, said. The company has secured land, water and mines for the project. Banerjee would strive to create massive employment through development of the manufacturing sector, which is the need of the hour, unemployment figures having touched 6.4 million.
A chain of industrial towns would be developed across the state with inter-linkages. As in the case of the Railways, the focus would be on private-public partnerships, where Amit Mitra is expected to lend a helping hand.
For investors more acquainted with Banerjee's agitation policies, the Nano episode of Singur, which resurrected her political career, is history. Bengal's chief minister-in-waiting insists she is industry-friendly and conscious that industrialists are integral to the creation of a capitalist economy.
CHALLENGES AHEAD
Investors, however, are a little sceptical as to how the land issue would be resolved, given Banerjee is against forcible acquisition and in favour of companies directly purchasing land.
While West Bengal received 1,362 proposals promising investments of Rs 2,37,000 crore, only 10 per cent of those were implemented. However, some projects are likely to be axed. These include the Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemical Investment Regiona at Nayachar. The Trinamool Congress is opposed to the project.
Perhaps to allay investor concerns about land, Banerjee on Friday said a land policy would be formulated’ without divulging what it would entail. In the last two years, only 8,000 acres have been acquired, far short of the requirement.
Apart from land, industrial hub Haldia, which has been the casualty in the political battleground for the past two years, may keep Banerjee busy.
