State to set up 3 industrial parks in N Bengal at a cost of more than Rs 100 crore

Siliguri: After bringing an end to the neglect towards North Bengal during the Left Front regime by bringing in investment in the past nine years, the Mamata Banerjee government is setting up three industrial parks in North Bengal at a cost of more than Rs 100 crore for further economic rejuvenation in the region.

The industrial parks, each on around 20 to 35 acres of land, are coming up at Jaigaon in Alipurduar, Ethalbari in Jalpaiguri and the third one is at Gangarampur in South Dinajpur.

"Setting up of the industrial parks would help in setting up of more large scale industries and also encourage the MSME sector in the region," said a senior state government officer adding that the West Bengal Small Scale Industries Development Corporation (WBIDCL) is executing the project of setting up of the industrial parks.

There will be an investment of around Rs 25 to Rs 30 crore to develop the infrastructure of each park. The preliminary work of creating infrastructure including pathway, water and power supply and erecting boundary walls of the parks have started. This is for the first time when the state government is also developing firefighting arrangements at industrial parks.

"We have decided to set up firefighting arrangements as per updated and modern designs in all the new upcoming parks so that any emergency situation can be properly dealt with," the officer said.

There will be at least 50 to 70 units or plots in each of the parks that will be leased out for a long term and there is also a provision of giving certain plots on rent. Currently, there are around 50 existing industrial parks in Bengal under WBIDCL and a maximum number of units in the parks have once again started functioning properly after the Covid situation.

"The three parks in North Bengal will get shape over the next one and a half years. All efforts are on to ensure fast completion of the necessary infrastructure in the parks," the officer said, adding that a furniture cluster is also coming up at Siliguri.

According to a section of industrialists in North Bengal, the region had not witnessed such initiative during the Left Front regime. A few moves were made in this regard towards the end of their regime, but nothing had finally materialised. Now the Mamata Banerjee government's initiative has given a fresh lease of life to the economy in the region by organising synergies and finally creating the necessary infrastructure to attract more investment.