Mamata gives ultimatum to Jindals on Salboni project

At a public function held in the area, Banerjee warned that if the JSW group did not construct the plant, the government would take away the land and give it to other investors. She also asked the Jindals to pay land-losers.

"Before coming here, I have told the Jindals that the 400 families who gave up their land for the project be paid Rs 5,000 each per month till they are given employment in the project," Banerjee said.

"Moreover, the project has to be started soon. If the industry (by JSW) is not set up, we will establish an alternate industry," Banerjee warned.

There could be a major industry on such huge land of 4,000 acres which would create a large number of jobs, she said.

JSW group had signed an agreement with the then Left Front government in 2007 for setting up a steel plant with a capacity of 10 mtpa at a cost of Rs 35,000 crore for which the government allotted 4,500 acre.

However, no substantial progress was made for setting up the plant.

The then chief minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, had laid the project's foundation stone on 2 November,2008.

When Bhattacherjee was returning after laying the foundation stone a bomb, planted by Maoists, went off minutes after his convoy passed the spot. 

Meanwhile, the West Bengal chief minister on Monday renewed her demand for a waiver of interest on state’s huge debt burden, saying that her government had not asked for anything in the railway and general budgets.

‘We have not asked for any anything in the railway budget. We have not also asked for anything in the general budget...,’ Banerjee told a gathering here in West Midnapore district. ‘A new government has come. We want the interest on the loans be waived by this government,’ she said.

‘If that is not done we will launch an intensified movement (against the Centre) over it,’ Banerjee said. Asking why her government should be made to suffer because of the huge loans taken by the previous government, the chief minister said “Rs one lakh crore has been deducted from the state’s coffers toward loan repayment. Every year the amount is rising.