Proposal of Rs 900 crore investment to boost industries in Cooch Behar, Alipurduar & Jalpaiguri

Jalpaiguri: A proposal for a Rs 900 crore investment has been submitted to the state government at the Synergy Small and Medium Industries Conference held in Batabari, Meteli, to boost industrial growth in Cooch Behar, Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri districts. The investment will cover multiple sectors, including agriculture, cold storage, food processing, jute, cotton, tea and tourism, with the potential to create over one lakh jobs.

Additionally, Rs 8,600 crore is expected to be invested in these districts next year through bank loans, government grants and investments from industrialists. This was announced by state minister Chandranath Sinha during a Press briefing at the event, organised by the State Small and Medium Industries department.

During the conference’s business session, industrialists raised concerns about the difficulty in obtaining the Land Use Compatibility Certificate (LUCC). Previously issued by the Panchayat Samiti, LUCC is no longer valid after the SJDA took over responsibility, creating hurdles in establishing industries. Mohan Debnath, president of the Dabgram Industrial Welfare Association, proposed that essential services like pollution control, LUCC, electricity and fire safety be integrated into a single-window system for efficiency. Rajesh Pandey, Principal Secretary of the State Small and Medium Enterprises department, assured that the issue would be looked into.

In terms of financial support, Rs 2,545 crore in bank loans were granted to small and medium industries in Jalpaiguri district for the 2023-24 financial year, Rs 820 crore in Alipurduar and Rs 1,668 crore in Cooch Behar. As of September 2024, Jalpaiguri received Rs 2,059 crore, Alipurduar Rs 576 crore and Cooch Behar Rs 1,129 crore. By November 2024, 20,683 small and medium industries were registered in Alipurduar, 35,204 in Cooch Behar and 36,180 in Jalpaiguri. The state has also allocated Rs 26.48 crore under the Banglasree project.

Minister Sinha also highlighted: “The approval of three industrial parks in Jalpaiguri district, with the third phase of the Dabgram park nearing completion. The second phase of the Ambari-Falakata park is being developed on 47 acres at a cost of Rs 17 crore. The Rs 900 crore investment is expected by March 2025, creating 7,000 jobs. In total, Rs 8,600 crore will be invested in small and medium industries across the three districts.”