Electric bus unit to come up in Murshidabad

Kolkata: An electric mobility start-up, Causis E-Mobility Private Limited, will set up an electric bus manufacturing unit in Bengal, announced Principal Chief Advisor to the Chief Minister and Finance Department Amit Mitra at the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) on Thursday.

The unit will come on a state government land of around 50 to 100 acres at Rejinagar in Murshidabad. An MoU was signed at the BGBS on Thursday.

The company plans to invest to the tune of Rs 3,500 crore in the state and will produce 1,500 electric buses per annum as per demand. The plant will generate direct employment for 1,250 people. The company is looking at a time frame of February 2023 when the first electric bus will roll out from the Bengal plant, provided land is allocated by May this year. The company also has plans to churn out three wheelers and scooters from its manufacturing unit. The riverine location will help the company to bring in necessary equipment for the manufacturing unit. The company, part of the UK-based Causis Group, has acquired Germany-based Eurabas for its electric bus technology.

Meanwhile, in a major boost to the MSME sector, the department signed an MoU with Nabard for creation of new powerloom units which will generate 1.2 lakh jobs.

Letter of Intents (LOIs) were signed by the MSME department for setting up an industrial park under SAIP (Scheme for Approved Industrial Park) scheme for integrated textiles development and logistics park in Howrah and another unit at Khilkapur in North 24-Parganas.

SAIP has received a big boost with the state government's reduction of the quantum of land from 20 acres to 5 acres for setting up private industrial parks since September last year. The Power department also signed two MoUs — one with a German-based company and another with Poland for working in the mining sector.