Biz honchos promise big-ticket projects, says Bengal ‘ideal state for investments’

Kolkata: Hailing West Bengal as an ideal state for investments under the leadership of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, industrialists from across the country announced their investment plans in various sectors at the inaugural session of the 7th edition of Bengal Global Business Summit that kicked off on Tuesday.

Cardiac surgeon Devi Shetty’s Narayana Health Group announced a Rs 1000 crore investment for setting up a super-speciality hospital in Kolkata; JK Papers’ Harshpati Singhania promised Rs 1000 crore investment in the dairy sector; Wipro Chairman Rishad Premji mentioned about its second campus at Rajarhat with an investment of Rs 200 crore, the work for which has already started.

“My dream is to build a super speciality hospital on advanced heart care, cancer care and organ transplant with 1000 beds in Kolkata and Rs 1000 crores have been earmarked for the project. There will be employment of 10000 people directly and indirectly. I am optimistic that this will come up in two years,” Shetty promised.

Harshpati Singhania of JK Papers said that his group which left Bengal decades back is returning buoyed by the resurgence that the state witnessed in the last few years. He announced setting up a dairy project at Vidyasagar Industrial Park in Kharagpur. Milk will be sourced from 95000 farmers and the investment will be to the tune of Rs 1000 crore. About 2000 people will be employed directly and indirectly through this project which is expected to be commissioned by the middle of next year.

Singhania, who also runs Lakshmipat Singhania Academy School in Kolkata, announced expansion plans of the institution through a tie-up with Cambridge School.

Rishad Premji, chairman of Wipro, said that the IT major is investing Rs 200 crore for its second campus which is coming up on 50 acres of land in Rajarhat. In the existing campus at Salt Lake, Wipro employs 10000 people.

Ambuja Neotia’s group chairman, Harsh Neotia announced his plans to develop a comprehensive circuit of hotels in and around heritage, archaeological and sea destinations in the state.

The group already has five hotels in Digha, Santiniketan, Darjeeling, Sunderbans and Lataguri. He welcomed the state government’s move to grant industry status to hospitality and tourism.

RPSG chairman Sanjiv Goenka promised further investment in phases in the state in the coming years and said that under the leadership of the Chief Minister, decisions have been quick, transparent and efficient. Goenka has already invested Rs 25,000 crore in the state in the last few years.

“We are in the process of building a world-class hospital in Kolkata. Bengal is ready for business and investment will surely yield fruitful results,” he added.

ITC chairman, Sanjiv Puri, whose group has 17 manufacturing units across Bengal, said: “We have seen in the last few years, Bengal’s multidimensional transformation and in the next few years we will come up with one more unit,” he added. He also announced a plan to introduce an app that will empower 5 lakh farmers in Bengal.

Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee has been invited to deliver a speech at Oxford University and she has accepted it, pro-vice-chancellor of the institute Jonathan Michie said.