West Bengal government gears up Rs 600-crore projects

KOLKATA: With the election season over, the West Bengal government is back with proposals for projects worth Rs 600 crore in gems and jewellery and food parks.

State's Finance Minister Amit Mitra said after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on industrial reconstruction that 14 plots had already been sanctioned for the purpose offering employment opportunities for nearly 20,000 people.

The meeting was chaired by state's Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Mitra said that out of 32 applications, five companies were offered 5,000 square feet of land each in the James and Jewellery Park at Ankurhati near Domzur in Howrah district.

With the allotment of land to 32 applicants, the park comprising 1,25,000 square feet would be occupied entirely.

So, the government has decided to set up another park having similar area.

The state government has also received many applications, including one from the Sugar and Spice, for Phase-3 project of the Sankrail Food Park in Howrah district.

Land have also been allotted to some of those companies, the minister said.

A project would also come up soon under Rishi Bankim Industrial Park at Naihati in North 24-Parganas district to produce fodder for animals.

The Kishore Biyani group would set up a Mega Food Park under Vidyasagar Industrial Park at Kharagpur with an investment of about Rs 1,000 crore, Mitra said.

The group has been given 60 acres of land on which the project would come up in a cluster to benefit nearly 1.35 lakh farmers and providing employment to about 15,000 people, the minister said.