Process to rope in strategic investor for DPL initiated: Min

Kolkata: In a major stride towards the revival of industries, the Mamata Banerjee government has initiated the process of roping in a strategic investor for Durgapur Projects Ltd (DPL) situated on 132.5 99 acres of land.

“The state government is leaving no stone unturned to resume non-agricultural land lying unused for a long period and put it for industrial use. The land belonging to the sick Durgapur Projects Ltd (DPL) has already been resumed by the Industry department. We have engaged a transaction adviser for roping in a strategic investor for the revival of DPL,” state Industry, Commerce and Enterprises minister Shashi Panja said at the state Assembly on Saturday in her Budget speech in connection with the grant of expenditure for Industry, Commerce and Enterprises department.

The 193.29 acres of land belonging to erstwhile Dhakeshwari Cotton Mills based in Durgapur that has been closed for several decades has been returned to West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) for setting up an industrial park. 100 acres of land (erstwhile owned by NISCO) at Belur has also been resumed by WBIDC for developing a Logistics and Light Engineering Multi Product Park. The state is also planning to come up with a textile park on the land belonging to Kalyani Spinning Mill.

A 500 km Economic and Industrial Corridor project is being developed from the upcoming port region of Tajpur in East Midnapore to Raghunathpur in Purulia – right on the state’s border with Jharkhand. “We are identifying unutilised land lying adjacent to the proposed industrial corridor with plans to resume such land and put it for industrial use,” Panja said.

The industrial corridor will encompass seven districts - namely East and West Burdwan, Purulia, Hooghly, Howrah, Bankura and West Midnapore.

The minister also responded to an allegation from a BJP legislator that the state government is not handing over to the Durgapur steel plant. “More than 4000 acres of land has been given to Durgapur Steel Plant with the hope of at least 50 million tonnes production. However, the production is only 25 million tonnes and so we are sniffing at a conspiracy of putting the unit under Becho India (selling India) campaign,” Panja said.

The minister was referring to the Centre‘s disinvestment of several companies in the recent past.

“The middle-class and the poor rely on SBI, LIC and similar entities for the safe deposit of their money. We doubt whether their money is safe,” she added.