The West Bengal government today said there is no need to do away with the state's Urban Land Ceiling Act as it will lead to unlimited holding of maximum land by the rich forcing the poor to leave the city.
Reacting to Godrej Group chairman Adi Godrej's statement yesterday that the West Bengal government should do away with the Urban Land Ceiling Act, Minister for Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Firhad Hakim said, "We think Kolkata is a city for all and the Urban Land Ceiling Act is providing a protection to the poor. If it is scrapped, it will allow people unlimited holding of land and it will go to the rich, who will start investing in them.
"We know this because with increase in land value, there is always scope for big investment. If that happens, then the poor will have to leave Kolkata," Hakim said.
According to the minister, investors should stop concentrating on projects in Kolkata and shift focus on places in the suburbs like Kalyani to build townships where people, who could not accommodate themselves in Kolkata, stay.
"Kolkata is full with buildings... We should now think of constructing buildings around the city. Investors concentrate in one particular place, but we who run the government, want to spread development everywhere. So doing away with the Urban Land Ceiling Act in Kolkata will not be a solution to this problem.
"I don't know what Mr Godrej has actually said regarding this... I have met him in Mumbai recently but he has not said any such thing to me," the minister stated.
