West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said no industrialists would face harassment in the hands of her government and they should be given flexibility and space to operate in a peaceful mind.
"We do not want to harass the industrialists. It is not good to harass them. Let them be in peace. I have the power. But I cannot bulldoze. Let them be in peace so that they can fly high," Banerjee said at the concluding day of the second edition of Bengal Global Business Summit here.
"There should not be any political vendetta. Let us give a message. My government will not harass any single industrialist. This is not our nature. It is needed to help the industry. And we have to help each other," she said while announcing that investment proposals worth Rs 2.50 lakh crore have been received by the state government in the course of the two-day meet.
Banerjee's statement assumes significance as she had politically opposed the Nano small car project of Tata Motors for forcible farm land acquisition by the previous Left Front government at Singur. Ratan Tata had announced its withdrawal and shifted the Nano project to Sanand in Gujarat.
"If there was any problem, the government will negotiate and sort them out," she said, adding that instead of harassing them, "we would ask them to do more CSR."
"They also need to keep money to meet exigencies. But I am not talking about black money," she said.
"I am not a VIP. But a Less Important Person, LIP. We need to be humble and submissive. Our target is to make West Bengal the number one investment destination in India," she said.
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Banerjee said West Bengal is peaceful and no communal tension would be allowed in the state.
"We will not allow any communal tension. Also, we will not tolerate any goons and anti-social elements. The message is clear. Let us help the industry," she said drawing applause from the audience.
She said the present condition of traditional industries like manufacturing, tea, jute and engineering is a legacy of 34 years of Left front rule.
"Socio-economic development is also important for the state to develop. During our rule in the last four years, institutional delivery has increased from 65 per cent to 95 per cent. Our government reaches out to the grassroot people," Banerjee said.
Talking about the various investment proposals which the state had received in the last two days, she said they were spread across various sectors.
"Big, medium, small and cottage industries. All are important and needed," she said.
On the need for industrial development, she said, "future generations have to come up. They are the future of the country."
The state had received Rs 2.50 lakh crore investment proposals, out of which Rs 1.60 lakh crore were in the manufacturing sector in the fields of mining, textiles, energy, cement, power and others.
Several MoUs were also signed between various state departments and private entities.
Regarding Nayachar island off Haldia, she said the state government would take over the land from Prasoon Mukherjee who would instead be given land at Baruipur and an eco-tourism park would come up in the island.
In the last summit, she had announced that proposals worth Rs 2.43 lakh crore were received, out of which proposals worth Rs 95,000 crore were executed and the rest are in process.
