Deep-sea port at Tajpur: State to invest Rs 15K cr, project will create 25K jobs

Midnapore: Accusing the Centre for not implementing the project of deep-sea port at Tajpur in East Midnapore despite giving assurance, Trinamool Congress (TMC) Chairperson Mamata Banerjee said that it is her government that took up the responsibility

of setting up the same to ensure creation of 25,000 jobs.

"It is for the students and youths of Bengal, the state government has taken up the project to set up the deep-sea port at Tajpur where there will be investment of Rs 15,000

crore. The Centre had assured of implementing the project. But they did nothing.

So we have decided to undertake the same," Banerjee said adding that "they (BJP) must criticize us only after doing at least 1 percent of the development work carried out by our government".

Tajpur Port will be the unique one with all multipurpose terminals and vessels with a parcel size of 60,000 tonnes will be able to avail the port with 15 metre draft which is several times more than that of the

Haldia Port.

The Bengal government, in December 2017, had decided to give 74 per cent stake of the proposed deep sea port to the Centre only after the latter agreed to construct an iron bridge across Muriganga river to connect Sagar Island with the mainland in South 24-Parganas. But the Centre did not take up the project.

"Projects like coal mining at Deochapachami, deep-sea port at Tajpur and IT industries by several companies including Wipro and Infosys are coming up in the state. So the youths here no more have to travel abroad in search of jobs. There will be no more death of job opportunities in Bengal with the initiatives taken by the state government," Banerjee said, addressing the mamoth rally.

The Trinamool Congress supremo further said

that her government has increased the dearness allowance of the state government employees by 3 percent despite severe financial crisis.

This comes when Bengal is the only state to provide free of cost treatment and ration to 10 crore people in

Bengal.

"We will continue to provide free of cost ration even after June 2021," Banerjee said.

She added that at present her

government is reaching to the people at their doorsteps to help them derive the benefits of state run schemes.