Kolkata: Pressing on the need for building adequate infrastructure in West Bengal in a bid to attract investments, former chief economic adviser of the Indian government, Dr Ashok Lahiri backed the state government’s decision for constructing a deep sea port in the state.
While addressing a seminar on his recently published book titled ‘India in Search of Glory: Political Calculus and Economy, organised by the Bharat Chamber of Commerce, Dr Ashok Lahiri, former Chief Economic Adviser to the Indian government and member, of Fifteenth Finance Commission, said a history of prolonged militant trade unionism has left West Bengal deprived of major industrial investments.
He felt that adequate infrastructure is required to be built in this state to attract investments. In this regard, he highlighted that proper roads for facilitating transit, construction of a deep sea port and establishment of heavy industries to create profitable supply chains for the MSMEs, are the need of the hour.
The state government sources said these suggestions reflect the vision of the Mamata Banerjee government which is keen on the construction of the Tajpur deep-sea port project and has already achieved excellence in creating better roads.
In the last Bengal Global Business Summit, alluding to the time of the Left Front government, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said the dark days are over when man-days were lost due to strikes.
She had also said: “Just as the state cannot move ahead without proper agricultural development, similarly,
without industrial progress the state cannot develop economically.” The state government had approached the Adani Group for the Tajpur deep sea project.