Kolkata, Oct. 14 -- Calling for an industrial revival rooted in Bengal's self-reliance, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday unveiled Haldia Petrochemicals Limited's Rs 6,000-crore integrated phenol and acetone plant in Haldia, the largest of its kind in the country.
Declaring an end to the country's dependence on imports of these two industrial chemicals, the Chief Minister also said that Rs 10,000 crore in investments are in the pipeline for Bengal.
He also sought to turn West Bengal into an industrial destination. He promised that a new industrial policy incorporating investment incentives, land-allocation provisions and power tariffs would be unveiled before Diwali.
"This plant will have an investment of Rs 6,000 crore. It will provide direct employment to 400 people, and indirect employment to 1,000. This plant is one step closer to 'Atmanirbhar Bharat," the Chief Minister added.
"There will be an industrial boom in the state, and there will be huge investments. Additional projects worth Rs 10,000 crore are also in the pipeline for Bengal. Haldia Petrochemicals is showing the path," Adhikari said.
"Today, the material that we had to import from abroad will no longer need to be imported," he said, invoking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative and calling for West Bengal to build its own economic self-reliance.
Adhikari also pointed out that the state is determined to create a business-friendly environment and attract investors through improved infrastructure and a predictable policy framework. He blamed militant trade unionism during the 34-year Left Front regime and what he described as flawed land policies, the withdrawal of incentives and syndicate-related problems during the subsequent 15 years for Bengal's industrial decline. He claimed that more than 50,000 industrial units had shut down during the Left Front rule. He also announced that a Pepsi manufacturing plant would come up on 98 acres in Haldia, with the Haldia Development Authority having already provided the land.
The state Cabinet would approve the project, he said. Another 50 acres would be allotted to Truviss for a medical equipment manufacturing unit.
With further proposals involving Indian Oil Corporation and Haldia Energy, Adhikari said the government aimed to accelerate industrial growth in Haldia within a year. He urged Haldia Petrochemicals chairman Purnendu Chatterjee to establish a data centre in Bengal, assuring him of the government's full support. Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister also proposed closer coordination between companies and technical institutions, including CIPET and Durgachak ITI, to train fitters, welders, fire-safety personnel and other skilled workers.
A 50-bed trauma centre with a burn unit would be opened in Haldia by June 2027 to provide emergency care to workers injured in industrial accidents, the CM said, adding that the project would receive Rs 18 crore from the Haldia Development Authority, Rs 5 crore from Indian Oil Corporation under its corporate social responsibility programme and Rs 5 crore under the National Health Mission. Adhikari also mentioned that industrialist Sanjiv Goenka has expressed a desire to set up plants in Barrackpore and Haldia, and the Reliance group is launching the 'Campa Cola' project in Haringhata on October 28.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.