Industry associations hail Bengal CM's land purchase policy, see end to acquisition roadblock

Kolkata: Leading business associations in West Bengal on Sunday welcomed Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's announcement that his government would directly purchase land and hand it over to investors, asserting that such an initiative would remove one of the biggest hurdles to investment and instil confidence among industrialists and entrepreneurs.

Adhikari's announcement marks a departure from the policy pursued by the previous Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government, which had ruled out forcible land acquisition for private industry in view of the Singur and Nandigram agitations.

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Calcutta Chamber of Commerce president Anant Saharia said the direct land purchase mechanism by the government would act as a major catalyst in encouraging both new and existing investors to the state.

"This streamlined approach will accelerate West Bengal's industrial and economic development, generating substantial capital investment and employment," Saharia told PTI.

Speaking at the foundation stone-laying ceremony of a hosiery manufacturing project in Hooghly district on Saturday, Adhikari had said the BJP government did not want any anti-land acquisition movements like the Singur or Nandigram agitation.

"If investors require land, the government will procure it under the direct land purchase policy and hand it over," the CM said, noting that this framework was being used for infrastructure projects, including those for the railways, the BSF and airports.

Merchants' Chamber of Commerce and Industry also hailed the government's decision, saying that it would help prospective investors acquire land for industrial units without navigating the challenges posed by fragmented landholdings.

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The chamber said land acquisition had long remained a bottleneck for industrialisation in the state and described the decision as being in contrast to the "hands-off" approach adopted by the previous TMC government on land acquisition for industry.

MCCI said the policy would boost investor confidence and aid the BJP government's efforts to attract fresh investments and create employment in the state.

Bharat Chamber of Commerce president Naresh Pachisia termed the proposal an "action-oriented approach" that would strengthen confidence among industrialists, noting that land availability, valuation and administrative clearances remain among the most critical factors for large industrial investments.

"The announcement was in line with the state's blueprint for robust economic growth and would help address imperfections in the land market," he told PTI.

Pachisia also said the government's earlier decision to re-examine the Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act, 1976, announced in the maiden state budget, had already provided a much-needed impetus to investors.

Observing that West Bengal remains the only major state which is still implementing the law, he said revisiting the legislation, along with the proposed direct land purchase mechanism, could help unlock large-scale institutional investments and urban development.