Modern Haat in Durgapur

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more details here
http://durgapurmycity.blogspot.com/2010/05/urban-haat-at-south-city-centreplanning.html

Office Complex, durgapur
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City Center, Durgapur
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Shristi Infrastructure Development Corporation plans for Integrated Park in Darjiling

Shristi Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd plans to develop a Rs 500-crore integrated park at Siliguri in Darjeeling district of West Bengal. The Kanchan Janga Integrated Park will be developed by Kanchan Janga Integrated Infrastructure Development Pvt. Ltd, a JV between Shristi and West Bengal Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation. It will provide industrial and commercial facilities like retail and housing. The project is to be completed in three phases in five to seven years. Phase-I is expected to be completed by October 2011. www.projectsmonitor.com

Hill tour project shelved

The Ambuja Group has put on hold a tourism project planned in association with the world famous Makaibari Tea Estate because of the political turmoil in the Darjeeling hills.

“It is true that we had planned a tourism project in Makaibari Tea Estate in association with the garden management. However, we have put the project on hold because of the present political situation in the hills. The plan is ready but it will take some time for us to put in place the infrastructure and make the project operational,” Harsh Neotia, the chairman of Ambuja Realty Development Limited, said here today.

The hills plunged into political uncertainty ever since the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha revived the agitation for a separate state two years ago. As strikes and violence became the order of the day, tourism took a beating with domestic and international visitors reluctant to come to the hills.

Sources said according to the project conceived jointly by Neotia and owner of the estate Rajah Banerjee, a resort would be developed on 24 acres of land. The resort will cater for both domestic and international tourists and the developers hope the globally-known Makaibari brand and the garden’s location will work as USPs.

Neotia said the group had also plans to launch a project at Lataguri on the fringes of Gorumara National Park in the Dooars. “Around Rs 25 crore will be invested in the two tourism projects in north Bengal,” he said.

In Makaibari, sources said, Ambuja would present the concept of a leisure hotel in the form of “kutir” or cottage, much like the Ganga Kutir developed by the company at Raichak, 50km from Calcutta.

The chairman said the group wanted both the projects to be completed together. “Unlike in the hills, there is no political strife as such in the Dooars. But our idea is to create a tourism circuit in north Bengal. We intend to stick to that plan and will develop both the properties simultaneously. We are waiting for improvement in the situation in the hills and will definitely implement both the projects,” said Neotia. He was addressing a news conference to announce the setting-up of the third City Centre at the Uttarayon Township in Matigara.

“We will be bringing in new and top notch brands like Shoppers Stop, Spencer’s, KFC and Crossword to the City Centre for the residents of Siliguri and neighbouring areas,” said Neotia. “Also, the Big Cinemas will open a four-screen multiplex with a capacity to accommodate 1,000 people.” He added that City Centre Siliguri would be opened in December.

The real estate major has two City Centres in Bengal and both are in Calcutta.

“More than 5,000 people would be employed at the City Centre that we hope will develop as a hub of economic activity in north Bengal,” said Neotia. The Telegraph

Second Hinduja unit in Durgapur

Calcutta, Aug. 16: Hinduja Global Solutions — the BPO arm of the Hinduja group — today opened its second centre in Durgapur.

The company, which had set up its first centre in Durgapur three years back, has 1,700 employees there.

The second unit, which will be about 1km away from the first site, is spread over 8,500 square feet and has 220 seats. The capacity can be scaled up to meet future demands, the company said in a statement.

“Durgapur has provided us multiple advantages in terms of access to good talent, cost arbitrage and considerably lower levels of attrition. This new centre will enable us to take care of increased domestic demands. I am sure both the centres will witness continued growth and sustained excellence,” CEO Partha De Sarkar said.

The new unit is the 30th global delivery centre of the company, which serves over 80 clients through its facilities in India, the US, the UK, Canada, Mauritius and the Philippines.

The unit is aimed at meeting the company’s price-volume commitments. It will primarily cater to customers in the telecom segment.

Hinduja Global is among the first movers in the domestic BPO space.

Second Hinduja unit in Durgapur

More updates :
1) Webel IT Park in Dugarpur (Phase 1) will be inaugurated by Puja.
2) Pinnacle Infotec is constructing a unit in City Center.

Potato research body gets nod to open centre in Bengal

[Kolkata, Aug 17

The West Bengal Government has received permission from the Union Government to set up Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI) centre in the State to facilitate research and selection of suitable varieties of potatoes to be grown in the State. “We have got permission to set up a CPRI centre in the State. This will come up in west Midnapore district and will be under the aegis of the Bidhan Chandra Krishi Vishwavidyalaya,” said Mr Naren De, State Agriculture Minister.

Picking up varieties

The centre, once established, would enable the selection of suitable varieties of potato to be grown in the State, according to Dr Bir Pal Singh, Director, CPRI. “The biggest issue for the State at present is that there is no specific variety of potato which is grown exclusively based on the agricultural and climatic conditions and specific requirements of the State. The varieties such as Jyoti, Pokhraj and Chandramukhi, which are being cultivated at present, are not best suited,” Mr Singh said, while talking to newspersons on the sidelines of a seminar on potato crop management and processing organised by the West Bengal Cold Storage Association here on Tuesday. Potato varieties such as Surya, Pushkar and Sailaja among others should be grown in the State and evaluated under specific conditions, he pointed out.


The CPRI, Mr Singh said, was also keen on developing a breeding programme for the State based on its specific requirements.

The availability of seeds was yet another issue that had to be addressed, he pointed out. West Bengal currently imports its seeds from Punjab which adds to the cost of cultivation and puts a pressure on margins. “Seed import cost accounts for about 40-50 per cent of the total cost of cultivation. The State can have these seeds grown here, CPRI is ready to work as a knowledge and consultancy partner for the same,” he said.

Potato processing was another important area that needed urgent attention, according to Mr Swapan Kumar Mondal, President, West Bengal Cold Storage Association. “The concept of potato processing has picked up over the last few years, in order to encourage further development in this regard, CPRI should add few more varieties of potatoes which are best suited for processing,” Mr Mondal said.

Source:THBL

SAIL's Kulti move

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100819/jsp/business/story_12827808.jsp#1

State-run SAIL will enter into a pact next month with RITES, a subsidiary of Indian Railways, to jointly set up a railway wagon making unit at Kulti in Bengal. “We will sign the agreement next month for the joint venture unit with RITES,” SAIL chairman C.S. Verma said. The proposed unit will have an annual production capacity of 1,200 wagons.

ABP in an article today has referred to the 1150 acres Vidyasagar Industrial Estate in Kharagpur. The article states that Telcon is the anchor investor in the estate. Other investors include Hard Rock Fabrication, United Engineering Services, Tatanagar Metal Industries, BRG Industries and Megatherm Electronics.
Bharat Forge has also been shown land in this estate for their potential investment.

The article also speaks of a 1000 acre Panagarh Industrial Estate where the anchor investor is Matrix Fertilzers and Chemicals. In Raghunathpur the state is roping in Adhunik Steel, Shyam Steel and Jai Balaji Steel.

^^wow kharagpur is a great investment destination, there are hardly any farm places around...its mostly a plateauu.

http://epratidin.in/epaperimages/1982010/1982010-md-hr-6/2751796.JPG

^^

Please provide a brief translation when possible, Plus the name of the newspaper.

^^

Please provide a brief translation when possible, Plus the name of the newspaper.

There will be 3 medical college in maldah,murshidabad and 24 pgs (N) district
http://epratidin.in/epaperimages/1982010/1982010-md-hr-6/2751796.JPG

Source: Anandabazar

Videocon is going to start building their Siliguri, Dabgram electronic SEZ project. It was on hold. Again it is only our CM Mr Bhattacharaya who had to come forward to save the project. ;)
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:ohno::bash:
Russians eager to quit Haripur

TNN
New Delhi: In what may result in yet another setback for West Bengal owing to protests by Trinamool Congress and Maoists,Russia wants the central government to shift the location of the proposed nuclear power plant at Haripur in East Midnapore district.
Government sources confirmed that Russias state-owned nuclear power equipment and service giant Rosatom has asked the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) to seriously consider allotting it another site.
The coastal region of Haripur had been allotted to Rosatom last year because of its low population density and after the state government showed interest in hosting a nuclear power plant.However,with Trinamool Congress and the Maoists vying with each other to tap unrest among the local fishermen community,many in the state believe the situation is another Nandigram in the making.
The proposed plant at Haripur had acquired all necessary environmental clearances in January.It was said to have potential for six reactor units.It had been earmarked initially for two 1,000-MW power plants.Construction work was to commence this year.
The DAEs site selection committee is closely looking at the developing situation,said an Indian official.The Russians are said to be concerned over the manner in which the resistance,which was initially just about the risk of a nuclear plant leading to an increase in water temperature,has become political.
Interestingly,after the protests led by Mamata Banerjees party started to gain momentum,CPM tried to wash its hands of the project by saying it was the Centres brainchild.

N-dangered Project

State-owned Russian agency Rosatom was allotted the coastal region of Haripur last year to build two 1,000-MW nuclear power plants The proposed plant was given environmental clearances in January 2010.Construction was to begin this year Haripur was an important part of the Centres plans to achieve its target of generating 30,000 MW of nuclear power by 2020
AGAIN WE ARE GOING BACK 20 YEARS

Sagar port: Feasibility report soon

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolkata: The techno-feasibility report on a deep-drafted port at Sagar will be submitted within next few months,shipping secretary K Mohandas said on Friday.
The ministry of shipping is also looking into the matter of connectivity from the mainland to Sagar,that will be required for the port facility,he said.With Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) facing problems of draught at Kolkata and Haldia,it is keen to set up a deep-drafted port close to the southern tip of Sagar Island on a publicprivate partnership basis.
To connect this port to the mainland,a rail-cum-road bridge has been planned from Kakdwip to Kochuberia.The railways has decided to take up construction of this bridge.
This port will be able to handle over 60 million tonnes of cargo and there would be minimum expense on dredging,as it will be situated where the Hooghly flows into the Bay of Bengal, an official said.

Durgapur Projects seeks Bhel help to repair turbine

ET KOLKATA

STATE-OWNED Durgapur Projects Ltd (DPL),which procured power equipment from Chinas Dong Fang for its 300 mw thermal plant,has just sought Bhels help to fix the faulty Chinese turbine.The plant has been idle for the past 75 days.
DPL decided to approach Bhel as its asset maintenance contract with Dong Fang has lapsed.Accordingly,DPL is now weighing all options,including seeking Bhels assistance.According to a senior DPL official: The extent of the fault in the turbine may require Dong Fang to ship the turbine back to China which may take up several months.This may not be a feasible idea as DPL has already lost more than two months in trying to repair the faulty equipment.
A senior Bhel executive said: DPL has asked us to inspect the turbine and offer solutions.Since the product involves Chinese technology,we will initially take stock of the turbines parts and may have to go for reverse engineering.A team of Bhel officials will soon visit the DPL unit to take a view.
Equipment supplied by Chinese power equipment vendors have not worked too well at least for government-owned power companies in West Bengal.While DPLs 300 mw unit has suffered frequent shutdowns,the one at Sagardighi (300 mw) has also not been running smoothly.
Irregular generation from these Chinese units have also resulted in generation shortfall,adding to the states demand-supply gap.West Bengal Power Development Corporation and DPL had put up these units over the past couple of years to meet the surge in states power demand.Nevertheless,the state government is expected to add a 250 mw unit at Sagardighi,a 150 mw unit at Maithon (Right Bank) and a 132 mw at Teesta Lower Dam during 2011.It is also trying to improve performance of existing plants like 100 mw additional generation from a unit at Santaldih,an additional 50 mw from an unit at Sagardighi and 50 mw from DVCs Raghunathpur phase I.

Govt land offer for NSG hub

Kolkata: The state government will offer 600-acre plots at four locations in North 24-Parganas to National Security Guard (NSG) for setting up its hub.The state had earlier offered some land to NSG but it was considered too expensive.
We have identified four plots.Once they have selected a plot,the land acquisition process will start.We think these plots will suit their budget.There may be a slight deviation during the actual acquisition but that shouldnt be a problem, home secretary Samar Ghosh said on Tuesday.
Ghosh also said the home department was looking for a 40-acre plot to set up a camp for women personnel of CRPF.Kolkata Police,too,has sought 25 acres to set up a training facility.TNN

West Bengal makes rapid strides in industrial development

Iron and steel, petrochemicals, information technology and food processing sectors have major share of investments

West Bengal has witnessed a surge in investment for industry despite the effects of the global economic downturn and the negative reputation it acquired in the aftermath of the developments at Nandigram and Singur which resulted in the calling off of the projects proposed for those areas.

“In 2009, the State has attracted over Rs. 8,400 crore investments in various industries,” Chief Minster Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee recently said.

The major share of the investment of Rs. 8,400 crore, the highest in the last 20 years, was in the Iron and Steel, Petrochemicals, Information Technology and Food Processing sectors.

West Bengal Governor M. K. Narayanan, in his address to the State Assembly earlier this year said that the Commerce and Industries Department continues “to pursue the pro-active policy of industrialisation to combat the negative impact of global recession.” Mr. Bhattacharjee and State Industries Minster Nirupam Sen have on several occasions reiterated that despite negative perceptions, West Bengal is an attractive destination for investment.

The major impediment in the industrialisation of the State has been the availability of land. The State government had introduced two initiatives to ensure the planned utilisation of land for industry — land mapping and the setting up of a land bank. The Land and Land Reforms Department is overseeing both the efforts and the data for five districts — Paschim Medinipur, Purulia, Bankura, Birbhum and Bardhaman — has been made available.

The State government is now emphasising on the setting up of industries in areas that are considered backward and have uncultivable land and the setting up of industrial clusters that can use common infrastructure. At the same time, certain parts of the State have been identified as Industrial Growth Zones where large-scale manufacturing units can be set up. Based on the availability of non-agricultural land, presence of industry and infrastructure, six industrial zones have been identified by the State government.

In order to improve the industrial infrastructure in the State, the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) has initiated the setting up of several sector specific industrial parks most prominent of which are the Raghunathpur Industrial Park in Purulia district, the Vidyasagar Industrial Park and the Panagarh Industrial Estate in Paschim Medinipur district.

The Raghunathpur Industrial Park is a 6,000-acre project that includes anchor investments from three iron and steel companies — the Jai Balaji Industries, the Adhunik Steel and the Shyam Steel Industries Ltd. High accessibility with a railway line in the near vicinity and proximity to the upcoming Damadar Valley Corporation power plant are being cited as the main advantages of the complex.

The Panagarh Industrial Estate has been planned over a 2,500-acre area near Durgapur. The main investor in the project is the Matix Fertilisers and Chemicals Ltd. that will build and operate a greenfield fertiliser complex there.

The Vidyasagar Industrial Park is to be set up on a 1,150-acre area near Kharagpur, where Telcon will set up a earth moving equipment plant.

Industrial parks in the Food Processing, Biotechnology, Rubber, Polymer, Garments, Gems and Jewellery, Engineering products and Foundry have also been planned.

The WBIDC and the Bengal Aerotropolis Project Ltd. have also entered an agreement to set up a greenfield airport at Andal in Bardhaman district. An industrial, urban and social infrastructure complex will be built around the airport which is a joint-venture between the two companies.

The State Government has recognised the importance of the private and joint sectors in ensuring accelerated growth and in improvement and up gradation of industrial as well as social infrastructure. Keeping in mind the recent surge in entrepreneurs' interest to set up industry in the State, the government provides incentives to them and the WBIDC is the agency for disbursement of incentives under various schemes.

In the financial year 2009-10 the WBIDC disbursed Rs. 122.24 crore under various incentive schemes including the West Bengal Incentive Scheme 2000, the West Bengal Incentive Scheme 2004 and the West Bengal Incentive to Power Industries Scheme 2005.

It will initiate disbursements under the West Bengal State Support for Industries Scheme 2008.

The West Bengal State Support for Industries Scheme 2008 stands out from the previous incentive schemes of the State government as it will lay emphasis on industries that generate more employment at the local level.

Additionally, the scheme specifies the time frame within which the benefits can be availed of to ensure that the industrial units are commissioned and production commences on time.

The State government has also decided that to encourage the setting up of industries in the northern and western parts of the State, as well as in the Sunderbans region by providing additional incentives for capital investment, electricity duty exemption and employment generation for setting up industries in these parts.

IT growth

The Information Technology sector has witnessed a rapid growth in Wet Bengal in the last decade thanks to the State government's persistence and perseverance in its approach to leading IT companies for setting up offices in the State.

The venture has generated over 90,000 jobs for the skilled youth of the State and its success is evident from its eight per cent growth rate in the year 2009-10, even as the world economy as well as India's economy was undergoing a negative phase due to the economic downturn during the period.

Recently quoting a NASSCOM report, Debesh Das, the State's Minister for Information and Technology, said that the local IT industry recorded positive growth in the export sector during the economic downturn even as cyber cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad posted negative growth.

Employment in the IT sector in West Bengal has increased 2.5 times in comparison to what it was in 2006 and the IT Department expects a 20 to 25 per cent growth in employment opportunities in the sector in the near future.

More than 500 IT and ITeS companies are working in the State currently with almost all major companies like TCS, IBM, Wipro, Cognizant, HSBC, Capegimini, HTMT, PWC, Atos Origin, Siemens, Lexmark, Usha Communications, Reliance, ICICI Onesource and Tech Mahindra.

The Azim Premji-controlled Wipro Limited will invest around Rs. 1000 crore in its second campus near Kolkata that will employ 20,000 skilled personnel. With construction of the second Wipro campus scheduled to start within 18 months, it is expected to be operational by 2012.

The West Bengal IT Department has invited bids for a Rs. 200 crore project in Salt Lake Sector V requesting proposals for development and operation of a twin tower IT Park in Sector V.

To be built on a three-acre land owned by Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), it will work together with Webel in this initiative under public-private-partnership (PPP) model.

While the Department previously had 171 acres of land allotted to IT and IT infrastructure companies at Sector V of Salt Lake and 10 acres for DLF at Rajarhat township, it currently has about 300 acres at Rajarhat New Town already allotted to IT and IT infrastructure companies, which include TCS, Unitech, DLF, RMZ and Shapporji Paloonji.

Though the sector was initially started by the State government with a single IT infrastructure building named SDF at Sector V, similar SDF buildings are now being built at Durgapur in Bardhaman district and Siliguri in Darjeeling district in an attempt to develop these places as future IT hubs.

With the IT Department aware that in order to have a sustainable growth of the IT sector in the State, it needs to focus on hardware manufacturing, a number of initiatives have been taken to attract investments in high-end technologies and software development in the fields of VLSI as well as IT hardware and chip-designing sector. Plans are on to set up an Advanced IT Park at Kharagpur in Paschim Medinipur district and an India Design Centre — a unique first-of-its-kind project to house important semi-conductor players for the purpose.

Establishing Incubation Centres in various parts of the State like Sector V, Taratolla, Durgapur and Siliguri under the West Bengal Electronics Industry Development Corporation is under way.

Initiation of the Finishing School Programme that trains qualified engineers in order to make them industry-ready has also received encouraging support from the industry.

With an increasing focus on the IT and the IT-enable education among the learning community of West Bengal, the State Government in partnership with the Centre has started a programme for the Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribe children by way of leveraging information and communication technology (ICT) tools for dissemination of core-curricular concepts through digital content.

The IT Department has also come forward for enabling physically and mentally challenged people to yield the benefits of the technological revolution.

A computerised Braille Transcription System in Indian languages, including text to Braille conversion software — Braille to Text Software and Automatic Braille Embosser — have been developed and successfully implemented at 37 blind schools and two government libraries in the State.


source : The Hindu - 25.08.2010

Awesome....atleast Hindu does not succumb to the "yellow" journalism of TOI clan.

We need industry...all of them. Bengal is hungry for it.

@SarafIndian; all the informations of your "Tea Park" are very nice http://sunrent.de/smileyhappy.ico.....

GEECL to invest Rs 5,000 crore at Ranigunj,TN units

ET KOLKATA
GREAT Eastern Energy Corp Ltd (GEECL) the Gurgaon based,London Stock Exchange (LSE)-listed company will be investing close to Rs 5000 crore over the next few years at its existing facility at Ranigunj as well as its newly acquired coal-bed methane block at Tamil Nadus Manargudi block.
GEECL has been recently allotted a 667 square km CBM block at Manargudi block in Tamil Nadu.It is a virgin block which will now have to be explored for ascertaining the total amount of methane reserves in the block.It will require an initial investment of Rs 100 crore for exploration.
Following,this we would be investing close to Rs 3000 crore over the subsequent years.At GEECL we hope to start exploration work in about a year or so after we have received all the clearances.The tentative reserves in the block has been estimated at 0.98 trillion cubic feet of gas however,the actual quantity might vary, said Mr Prashant Modi,president and chief operating officer.
In West Bengal,the company which has drilled about 75 wells at Ranigunj will be drilling a total of 300 wells in about five-six years.Total investment in this region will be about another Rs 2000 crore in drilling additional wells as well as increasing production capacity.We hope to increase total production from 3.7 million cubic feet (mcf) per day to 120 mcf per day after all the 300 wells have been drilled.On the distribution front the company has already opened up five outlets and is in the process of opening a number of new outlets in the Asansol-Durgapur belt.It has also roped in industrial customers including Iisco in the region.

এ বার িশল্প তালুক বিপণনেও উপদেষ্টা নিেয়াগ করছে রাজ্য:cheers:
গাগর্ী গুহঠাকুরতা ² কলকাতা
শুধুই পরিকল্পনা স্তরে উপদেষ্টা নিেয়াগ নয়। এ বার শিল্প তালুক বিপণন করার ক্ষেত্রেও উপদেষ্টা নিেয়াগ করতে চলেছে রাজ্য সরকার। হাওড়া, দুর্গাপুর ও খড়্গপুরের নতুন শিল্প তালুকে সাফল্যের মুখ দেখতে এই পথেই হাঁটতে চলেছে রাজ্য শিল্প পরিকাঠামো উন্নয়ন নিগম। সংিশ্লষ্ট সূত্রের খবর, সম্প্রতি সংস্থার পরিচালন পর্ষদের বৈঠকে শিল্পমন্ত্রী নিরুপম সেনের উপিস্থতিতে এ বিষেয় কথা হেয়ছে।

মূলত ছোট এবং মাঝারি শিল্প গেড় তোলার সহায়ক পরিকাঠামো জোগাতেই বিভিন্ন জেলায় ‘ইণ্ডািষ্ট্রয়াল গ্রোথ সেন্টার’ তৈরি করে নিগম। সব মিলিেয় রাজ্য জুেড় রেয়ছে ১২টি এ ধরনের কেন্দ্র। সংিশ্লষ্ট সূত্রের দাবি এর মধ্যে কল্যাণী, উলুবেিড়য়া ও ফলতা নিেয় তিক্ত অভিজ্ঞতার জেরেই নয়া শিল্প তালুকে প্রথম থেকেই বিশেষজ্ঞদের পরামর্শ নিেয় চলতে চায় রাজ্য। এই তিনটি শিল্প তালুকে জমি নেওয়ার আগ্রহ রেয়ছে। এখানে কারখানা করতে আগ্রহী বিনিেয়াগকারীদের তালিকাও যথেষ্ট বড় বলে জানান নিগমের এক কর্তা। কিন্তু কল্যাণী, উলুবেিড়য়া ও ফলতা ঢেলে সাজার ক্ষেত্রে বাধা হেয় দাঁড়াচ্ছে বন্ধ কারখানার জমি ও ফেলে রাখা জমি। এই জমি পুনর্ব্যবহারের রাস্তা খুঁজে বার করতেও উপদেষ্টা সংস্থার সহায়তা চায় নিগম।

শিল্প দফতর সূত্রের দাবি, মূলত কর্মসংস্থানের সুযোগ তৈরি করাই শিল্প তালুক গড়ার উেদ্দশ্য। কিন্তু কলকাতার প্রায় লাগোয়া ফলতা, উলুবেিড়য়া ও কল্যাণীতে বহু কারখানা চালু না-হওয়ায় মার খাচ্ছে এই লক্ষ্য। হাওড়া, দুর্গাপুর ও খড়্গপুরে নয়া তালুকে এ ধরনের সমস্যা এড়াতে তাই প্রথম থেকেই বিশেষজ্ঞদের কাজে লাগাতে চায় নিগম। হাওড়ায় ১,২৫০ একর, দুর্গাপুরে ১৭২ এবং খড়্গপুরে প্রায় ৩০০ একর জমি আছে। এর যথাযথ ব্যবহার ও কর্মসংস্থান ছাড়াও শিল্প তালুকের সার্বিক ব্যবসািয়ক সাফল্য পেতেই উপদেষ্টার হাত ধরতে চলেছে রাজ্য।

এ দিকে, ঢেলে সাজছে নিগমও। পরিচালন পষর্দকে আরও কপোর্রেট ধাঁচে গড়ার চেষ্টা চলছে। বণিকসভার প্রতিনিধিদের সক্রিয় ভূমিকায় পেতে চায় নিগম। ওই সূত্রের খবর, বেসরকারি সংস্থা থেকে ‘ডেপুটেশন’-এ কর্মী আনা নিেয়ও কথা হেয়ছে। উেদ্দশ্য, কর্পোরেট মহলের অভিজ্ঞতা কাজে লাগিেয় সরকারি কাজকর্মে নতুন মাত্রা যোগ করা।
http://www.anandabazar.com/26bus1.htm

Samit I have to lodge an official complaint with the mods regarding the posting of articles in local language without a brief translation. Please understand that a handful of Non bengali speaking clan too is interested in the news/updates.

^^i am bengali but i am illiterate.

and some pseudo bengalis as well :tongue2:

I am really sorry.In between my work i posted that.
From next time onwards I will not give u chance for complain.:)

No problem. now the translations if you don't mind ;)

^^i am bengali but i am illiterate.

if u are illiterate then why are u on SSC :nuts:

Bengal's wagon unit draws global majors

All roads lead to Kanchrapara. Global biggies in railway transportation are making a beeline for the proposed hi-tech coach facility to be built about 50km from Kolkata.

This town in North 24-Parganas could well mark the beginning of Bengal's industrial resurgence and fill the vacuum left behind by the Nano's exit. Top companies like Siemens of Germany, Bombardier of Canada, Alstom of France, Stadler of Switzerland, Hitachi and Kawasaki of Japan, Korea's Rotem Hyundai, ABB of Sweden and Spain's Caf have filed requests for qualification (RFQ) for the Kanchrapara project. All of them have a turnover of at least $10 billion ('50,000 crore). Siemens alone has a global turnover of close to $300 billion (Rs 15 lakh crore).

A top railway official associated with the project told TOI: "You name it and we have got their application. We had never imagined such a response. It's just great. There is hardly any company left in railway transportation that has not applied for the project." It's learnt that the Kolkata-based Titagarh Wagons Ltd (TWL) of J P Chowdhary, and Texmaco of the KK Birla Group have also filed RFQs in consortium with global partners.

TWL has tied up with Stadler and ABB, while Texmaco has formed a consortium with Kawasaki. TOI was the first to report that Bombardier was keen to participate in the Kanchrapara project. The Berlin-based global major provides coaches for trains like Regina in Sweden, Electrostar in UK, Talent 2 in Germany and Spacium in France. TNN

No problem. now the translations if you don't mind ;)

Not only in planning stage ,wb govt is recruiting people to advertise different industrial corridor in HOWRAH,DURGAPUR,KHARAGPUR,learning from past mistakes.:nuts:
For SMEs they are building INDUSTRIAL GROWTH CENTRE IN 12 districts.

Previously in Uluberia,Kalyani and Falta govt had tried to push indisutrial growth.But it failed and lots of lands are being wasted with no investment.

Now the govt does not want that it happens with HOWRAH,DURGAPUR and KHARAGPUR with 1250,172 and 300 acres of land each in possesion.:)

Plan are there to bring people from PVT. sector .

After Nano, Mamata drives out Russians from Bengal (http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=ETNEW&BaseHref=ETD/2010/08/27&PageLabel=3&EntityId=Ar00303&ViewMode=HTML&GZ=T)

:banana2:

Source (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com//city/kolkata-/Bengals-wagon-unit-draws-global-majors/articleshow/6443031.cms)

Bengal's wagon unit draws global majors
Udit Prasanna Mukherji, TNN, Aug 27, 2010, 04.19am IST

KOLKATA: All roads lead to Kanchrapara. Global biggies in railway transportation are making a beeline for the proposed hi-tech coach facility to be built about 50km from Kolkata.

This town in North 24-Parganas could well mark the beginning of Bengal's industrial resurgence and fill the vacuum left behind by the Nano's exit. Top companies like Siemens of Germany, Bombardier of Canada, Alstom of France, Stadler of Switzerland, Hitachi and Kawasaki of Japan, Korea's Rotem Hyundai, ABB of Sweden and Spain's Caf have filed requests for qualification (RFQ) for the Kanchrapara project. All of them have a turnover of at least $10 billion ('50,000 crore). Siemens alone has a global turnover of close to $300 billion (Rs 15 lakh crore).

A top railway official associated with the project told TOI: "You name it and we have got their application. We had never imagined such a response. It's just great. There is hardly any company left in railway transportation that has not applied for the project." It's learnt that the Kolkata-based Titagarh Wagons Ltd (TWL) of J P Chowdhary, and Texmaco of the KK Birla Group have also filed RFQs in consortium with global partners.

TWL has tied up with Stadler and ABB, while Texmaco has formed a consortium with Kawasaki. TOI was the first to report that Bombardier was keen to participate in the Kanchrapara project. The Berlin-based global major provides coaches for trains like Regina in Sweden, Electrostar in UK, Talent 2 in Germany and Spacium in France.

Port trust will build another port 7 kms from haldia port.

http://epratidin.in/epaperimages/2682010/2682010-md-hr-6/1450431.JPG

Apeejay firm keen on port services

Apeejay Group chairman Karan Paul (right) with Nikhil Naik, director of Eredene Capital, in Calcutta on Thursday. Picture by Kishor Roy Chowdhury

Calcutta, Aug. 26: Apeejay Infralogistics, an equal joint venture of Apeejay Surrendra Group and the UK-based Eredene Capital Plc, is exploring opportunities in port services.

Karan Paul, chairman of Apeejay Group, said the company would build on its experience in shipping and real estate.

The company today announced commercial operations of two logistics parks in Haldia and Kalinganagar, which are its first two ventures.

“Going forward we want to consolidate these operations, while looking for related services such as trucking,” Paul said. He did not rule out entering terminal handling.

The immediate opportunity may come from Orissa where three ports are coming up.

Apeejay and Eredene have an agreement to set up projects in nine eastern states, including Bengal.

The Haldia park near the port is spread over 90 acres, though the company is initilally utilising 45 acres. The Kalinganagar park, at the heart of many upcoming steel projects, is over 30 acres.

Sourav Daspatnaik, director of Apeejay Infra, said the operations were expected to generate revenues of Rs 10-15 crore in Kalinganagar and Rs 25 crore in Haldia this year. Once fully scaled up, Haldia and Kalinganagar will earn revenues of Rs 100 crore and Rs 50 crore, respectively.

“There is hardly any sophisticated logistic park in Haldia. Hopefully, it will meet the need of the industry,” he said. Haldia will have a container freight station, and a warehouse among others.

Eredene Capital

Nikhil Naik, the director of London’s AIM listed Eredene Capital, said the fund had a long-term investment horizon. “We can remain invested for 7-10 years in a project.”
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100827/jsp/business/story_12862254.jsp

KKN Group forays into steel sector
Kolkata-based KKN Group, one of the leading players in edible oil sector, plans foray into steel production. The company has acquired Balaji Ispat Pvt. Ltd, a company engaged in manufacturing of mild steel ingots. Balaji has a 72 tonne per day capacity plant near Dankuni in Hooghly.

The company plans further expansions at the steel plant for manufacturing SGCI casting and malleable iron casting – for use in engineering industries, railways, wagon industry and auto sector.

The company is investing Rs 60 crore for acquisition as well as modernisation & expansion of the existing plant of Balaji Ispat. The capacity will be hiked from existing 72 to 170 tonnes per day. Also planned are a hot rolling mill and TMT plant with a manufacturing capacity of 200 tonnes per day. Asecond furnace of eight-tonne capacity and two more crucibles would be installed.

The KNN Group which has presence in trading and retailing of edible oils, has now de

500 coaches a year by wagon JV
TNN
Kolkata: Bombardier,which is in the fray for the Kanchrapara coach facility,builds coaches for the Delhi Metro at its first facility in India in Gujarats Vadodara.
The RFQ published by the railways says the ministry will form a joint venture for setting up a state-of-the-art EMU,mainline electrical multiple unit (MEMU) and metro coaches unit on 150 acres land in Kanchrapara.MEMU is used for inter-city trains.
The partner will have 74% stake and the railways 26%, a railways official said.The JV company will provide the railways 500 coaches a year (EMU,MEMU and Metro taken together ).According to railways officials,this will be the first unit in the eastern region to manufacture MEMU and metro coaches.Metro projects are in the pipeline in Mumbai,Hyderabad,Bangalore and Kolkata (East-West Metro).

:banana2:

Source (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com//city/kolkata-/Bengals-wagon-unit-draws-global-majors/articleshow/6443031.cms)

^^Our IR babus are in a daze with so much attention being given to this project. Hope they manage this well and select the right partner for the project. I would vote for Bombardier for the metro part since they have a successful business in the country, their coaches are sleek and the demand will pick up once the metro projects across the country gather more steam.

Seimens with a global turnover of 300 billion!Lol...its more like 100 billion.

^^Our IR babus are in a daze with so much attention being given to this project. Hope they manage this well and select the right partner for the project. I would vote for Bombardier for the metro part since they have a successful business in the country, their coaches are sleek and the demand will pick up once the metro projects across the country gather more steam.

After the state election Momota and her pals will be in state power. Then the railway ministry will go to a minister probably from Bihar and the project will be moved to Bihar. Then Bombardier or whatever, will forget about the project. :wallbash:

SBI to roll out 50 solar ATMs in Bengal (http://www.financialexpress.com/news/SBI-to-roll-out-50-solar-ATMs-in-Bengal/673422/)

As part of the banking behemoth’s “Go-Green” initiative, SBI has also planned to set up paperless counters in branches. Almost 1,000 point of sales machines will be installed in different branches to provide paperless banking facility to customers.

“We are also running electric cars throughout the state to propagate necessity of converting to alternative energy sources,” Kumar said. The bank has bought one electric car and plans to buy four more soon.

He said that the Bengal circle has set a target of achieving a business of Rs 95,000 crore (in the national banking group business consisting mainly of retail business) this fiscal against Rs 75,000 crore achieved during the last fiscal. While deposits are likely to grow by more than 20% this year, advances are to grow by almost 30% during the period, Kumar said.

After Nano, Mamata drives out Russians from Bengal (http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=ETNEW&BaseHref=ETD/2010/08/27&PageLabel=3&EntityId=Ar00303&ViewMode=HTML&GZ=T)

She is following in the footsteps of her predecessors and mastering the business of throwing out businesses from the state.

Gujarat tops placement list
State Employment Exchange Alone Provides 5.5L Jobs Of Total 8.3L
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Gujarat has topped the list of 35 states and union territories in providing maximum number of job placements through employment exchanges,accounting for 5.50 lakh of the 8.30 lakh job offers facilitated by the government agency.Labour minister Mallikarjun Kharge told Rajya Sabha in response to a question that in the three years from 2007 to 2009 Gujarat had managed to place 1,78,000,2,17,000 and 1,53,000 workers,respectively,through employment exchanges.
None of the states were in the striking distance.The second best,however,was Maharashtra that had managed to place nearly 8,000 in 2007;11,000 in 2008 and 24,000 in 2009.Tamil Nadu,Kerala,Uttar Pradesh were among other states in that order that had made some contribution along with Maharashtra.An important agency before private enterprises replaced the public sector as the favoured employer,employment exchanges have lost their sheen in the post-liberalisation phase.They,however,still remain an important mechanism for lower-category government jobs.
What is surprising is that all these states had a long list of applicants,who had registered with the employment exchanges with different vocational capabilities.Though Left-ruled Bengal and Kerala were among the top five states that had highest number of people registered with employment exchanges,their placement records was dismal.
In West Bengal,64,00,000 were registered with employment exchange as on May 31,2010 while the figure for Kerala that was third on the list of highest unemployed was 30,14,000.Tamil Nadu came second,with 55,65,000 unemployed.Across the country,the total number of job seekers registered with employment exchanges as on May 31,2010 were around 3.80 crore.
Maharashtra,UP,Andhra Pradesh,Madhya Pradesh,Assam,Chhattisgarh and Haryana were among the top 10 states with highest registered unemployed.Gujarats contribution to providing employment is commendable as what placements we see through employment exchanges is only a fraction of the actual scenario.
http://lite.epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/TOIBG/2010/08/28/21/Img/Pc0211200.jpg

You should throw out more TATA's and Russians.

Poverty is Bengal's pride...

You should throw out more TATA's and Russians.

Poverty is Bengal's pride...

Poverty can not be pride, it is a curse. Today MB said there have been large scale relocation of young men from Bengal because of lack of jobs. Once she becomes CM she will flood Bengal with industry !
Coming back to sense after all that Singur episode. Bengal have no choice but to live in 21st century . I feel sorry for all those poor souls, they have to choose between the davil or deep sea!

mastering the business of throwing out businesses from the state.

:lol:

POWER BOOST : Solar park project in Purulia

Bengal is set to get its biggest solar park at Purulia. The West Bengal Green Energy Development Corporation (WBGEDC) has identified about 400 acres of barren land in Purulia and has asked the district magistrate to acquire it so that WBGEDC can buy the plot.
Land acquisition was discussed at a meeting between power department, Purulia district administration and WBGEDC officials who met earlier this year. “We noticed vast stretches of land in Purulia was lying unutilised. We conducted surveys and identified a 400 acre plot of barren land that would be ideal for setting up the solar park which would generate 100 MW of solar power daily. If the plan works out, this will be the state’s largest solar park,” said WBGEDC managing director S.P. Gon Chaudhuri.
With massive power shortages often crippling the state, a situation destined to continue for two to three years, authorities are trying to tap renewable sources of energy. Once the solar park is set up, the entire power scenario could change drastically.
Gon Chaudhuri said solar power generated from this park would be loaded directly onto the grid. “It will be a huge boost to our efforts to develop solar power as an alternative source of energy,” he said.
The national solar mission set up by the Prime Minister has set a target to generate 20,000 MW of solar power nationwide by the end of 2022 and West Bengal has been asked to meet 10% (2,000 MW) of that goal. The state government expects to generate 115 MW of solar power by March 2013 which will require an investment of about Rs 1,500 crore. The target could be easily met once the solar park is set up.
Last year, union new and renewable energy minister Farooq Abdullah inaugurated two solar power plants in Bankura and Burdwan.
The state government is also working on setting up an energy park on 100 acres of land at the proposed Aerotropolis site at Burdwan’s Andal where equipment to generate solar energy will be manufactured.
The project is expected to attract investments to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore. Besides, many private companies who manufacture solar energy generating equipment are also coming up to invest in Falta and other places. TNN

Temptation Food acquires 46% stake in Jangipur Bengal
Source: IRIS (27-AUG-10)
Temptation Foods is taking up a 46% stake in Jangipur Bengal Mega Food Park, a SPV created to set up a Mega Food Park at Jangipur in West Bengal, under Government of India, Ministry of Food Processing Industries` scheme for Mega Food Parks.

The Food Park involves a capital cost of about Rs 1.11 billion. While promoters are contributing equity capital of Rs 300 million, Ministry of Food Processing Industries has approved a grant of Rs 500 million for the project under its Mega Food Park scheme.

Work at site has commenced and the Park is expected to become operational within 24 months.
http://myiris.com/newsCentre/storyShow.php?fileR=20100827175608707&dir=2010/08/27&secID=mostPopular

IIT-Kharagpur hopes to get Cabinet nod for medical school


The Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT-K) might finally get a go ahead with its plans to set up a medical school and hospital.Since it signed a $50-million MoU with the University of California, San Diego, last year to set up a 750-bed state-of-the-art hospital and research centre at the IIT, the institute had been pursuing the case with the Union HRD Ministry.

“We are talking to the health ministry. The IIT-K proposal will be presented before the Cabinet for the approval of an amendment to the IIT statute. It could take 2-3 months,” said Pratima Dikshit, director of technical education, Union HRD ministry.

“We are waiting for the permission from the central government. Union HRD Minister, Kapil Sibal, is very keen on this. Now, it will go to the Union Cabinet for its approval,” said AK Majumdar, deputy director of IIT-K.

The existing IIT Act that governs the Indian Institutes of Technology does not allow the institutes to branch out into other streams. “The Act has to be amended by Parliament, which we hope, will be done at the earliest,” said Majumdar.

“The cost of the project has gone up in the past one year but we are yet to estimate how much it would cost us now.” He said the institute would explore the possibilities of building the proposed medical school on a public-private partnership, once it gets the ministry nod. “If we get the ministry’s approval, it will be applicable to all IITs,” he said.

E-mails sent to the HRD Minister and IIT Kharagpur director Damodar Acharya did not elicit any response.

IIT-K started the School of Medical Science & Technology in its Golden Jubilee year in 2001. Its objective was to provide a platform for interdisciplinary teaching and research in medical science and technology.

“We are already doing some work in the field of medical science and technology. The World Health Organisation has also cited some of our works,” said Majumdar.

It may be mentioned that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has expanded beyond its core area of science and technology into fields like economics, philosophy, political science and management.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/iit-kharagpur-hopes-to-get-cabinet-nod-for-medical-school/406269/

IIT-Kharagpur hopes to get Cabinet nod for medical school


The Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT-K) might finally get a go ahead with its plans to set up a medical school and hospital.Since it signed a $50-million MoU with the University of California, San Diego, last year to set up a 750-bed state-of-the-art hospital and research centre at the IIT, the institute had been pursuing the case with the Union HRD Ministry.

“We are talking to the health ministry. The IIT-K proposal will be presented before the Cabinet for the approval of an amendment to the IIT statute. It could take 2-3 months,” said Pratima Dikshit, director of technical education, Union HRD ministry.

“We are waiting for the permission from the central government. Union HRD Minister, Kapil Sibal, is very keen on this. Now, it will go to the Union Cabinet for its approval,” said AK Majumdar, deputy director of IIT-K.

The existing IIT Act that governs the Indian Institutes of Technology does not allow the institutes to branch out into other streams. “The Act has to be amended by Parliament, which we hope, will be done at the earliest,” said Majumdar.

“The cost of the project has gone up in the past one year but we are yet to estimate how much it would cost us now.” He said the institute would explore the possibilities of building the proposed medical school on a public-private partnership, once it gets the ministry nod. “If we get the ministry’s approval, it will be applicable to all IITs,” he said.

E-mails sent to the HRD Minister and IIT Kharagpur director Damodar Acharya did not elicit any response.

IIT-K started the School of Medical Science & Technology in its Golden Jubilee year in 2001. Its objective was to provide a platform for interdisciplinary teaching and research in medical science and technology.

“We are already doing some work in the field of medical science and technology. The World Health Organisation has also cited some of our works,” said Majumdar.

It may be mentioned that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has expanded beyond its core area of science and technology into fields like economics, philosophy, political science and management.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/iit-kharagpur-hopes-to-get-cabinet-nod-for-medical-school/406269/

Tata Chem weighs new unit

Calcutta, Sept. 1: Tata Chemicals is planning to set up a new plant to cater to the growing demand for water purifiers.

The company, which makes the Swach purifier at Haldia only, will put in around Rs 50 crore for the second unit.

R. Mukundan, managing director of Tata Chemicals, said the plant would be close to the rice-producing belt.

The purifier has an in-built bulb-like instrument made of rice husk ash, impregnated with nano-silver particles.

The Haldia plant can make around one million units. The new plant is likely to produce the same volume.

“We hope to end the year with 80,000 a month sales, giving an annualised figure of one million,” he said at the launch of Swach here today.

Ashvini Hiran, chief operating officer (consumer products) of Tata Chemicals, said there would be 3-4 plants in India eventually.

Mukundan also hinted at going overseas.

Photo cc Jayanta @ Picasaweb

NH-31 Near Siliguri towards NE India
http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/9095/on20the20volvo20to20sil.jpg

Gokul Refoils Haldia Unit (http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews/articleid/4408037)

Gokul Refoils recently commissioned a 3.30 tpa (lakh tonnes per annum) refinery in Haldia, West Bengal.

The unit in Haldia is the most cost effective as it is closer to Indonesia and Malaysia from where crude oil are imported, said Mr Khandelwal. Besides, a sales tax exemption of Rs 100 crore valid for eight years will improve margins. The Haldia refinery is expected to contribute about Rs 900 crore this fiscal compared to the Rs 300 crore in FY-09, he said.

With the completion of its Rs 180-crore investment by end of this quarter, the company will have an edible oil manufacturing capacity of 23,64,000 tpa, against 19,14,000 tpa last year. It has four units at Sidhpur, Gandhidham and Surat in Gujarat, and Haldia. The company produces edible oils such as soya oil, cottonseed oil, palm oil (palmolein), mustard oil, vanaspati and castor oil.

Dhunseri's PET project begins (http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews/articleid/4424535)


The project will come up at Haldia, where the company's existing PET plant is located. For the purpose of the new project, additional land has been allotted by the Haldia Development Authority.

The financial closure was achieved with the approval of foreign currency loan by State Bank of India and ICICI Bank (NYSE:IBN) who will jointly finance the project with SBI taking the lead. The estimated project cost is below Rs 400 crore.

Matix Fertilisers And Chemicals Ltd Of The Matix Group Is Setting Up A Greenfield Fertilizer Complex (http://www.i-newswire.com/matix-fertilisers-and-chemicals/56128)

Matix Fertilisers and Chemicals Ltd, the flagship company of the Matix Group is setting up a greenfield fertiliser complex with a capacity of 3 million ton per annum (mtpa). In phase 1, Matix Group will invest Rs. 5000 crore (approximately US$1.1 billion) to set up a 1.3 MTPA single stream Ammonia (2200 MT per Day) & Urea (3850 MT per day) plant with integrated facilities.

The complex will house a 33 MW captive power plant, dedicated water reservoir, steam generation and other utilities. Located in Panagarh Industrial Park near Durgapur, the complex is adjacent to National Highway (NH) 2 and the Eastern Railway Network. The efficient distribution and infrastructure also includes road network and a railway siding. Waste water recycling facilities and the green belt will be located within the complex. The plant will be entirely health, safety and environment compliant. The project is due to be completed and the plant operational by 2012.

With no current capacity in the region, the plant will meet the needs of a core market – customers within a 350-km radius in the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa.

IOC to upgrade refining capacity

New Delhi, Sept. 2: Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOC) plans to increase its refining capacity to 81 million tonnes by 2012, the company’s director (refineries) B.N. Bankapur said today.

“With the economy projected to grow at a rapid pace over the next two decades, demand for oil and gas is expected to increase at an annual rate of about 3.5 per cent in the next two decades,” Bankapur said while addressing the company’s employees.

IOC will expand its Haldia refinery in Bengal by 1.5 million tonnes to 7.5 million tonnes and the Panipat unit in Haryana by 3 million tonnes to 15 million tonnes this year. The company’s total refining capacity will, thus, increase to 54.2 million tonnes per annum.

The capacity will rise to 80.7 million tonnes by 2012 with the commissioning of the 15-million-tonne Paradip refinery in Orissa.

Bankapur said the projects to improve the quality of petrol and diesel at all its refineries were complete, and the units were producing Euro-IV grade fuel. IOC undertook the projects at its Digboi, Haldia, Barauni and Gujarat refineries.

“We are challenged by strict environmental norms for the emission of greenhouse gases, climate change issues, growing demand for better product quality, emerging technologies and economies of scale for sustainable development,” he said.

With margins under pressure, it was necessary to integrate refining with value-added products such as petrochemicals, Bankapur said

Apollo may set up more hospitals in West Bengal

Healthcare major Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd is in talks with Parkway Holdings of Singapore to set up more hospitals in West Bengal via their existing joint venture, a top official said here Thursday.

'Our agreement is for West Bengal only and we are looking at setting up more hospitals,' Apollo Hospitals managing director Preetha Reddy said on the sidelines of an event at the Institute of Company Secretaries.

The joint venture runs one hospital in India under Apollo Gleneagles brand in Kolkata. Asked if Apollo has plans to expand the scope of joint venture with Parkway, Reddy said Apollo would remain a 'knowledge partner'.

Parkway is now owned by Khazanah, a soverign fund of Malaysia. Talking about the company's investment plans, she said it is pumping in Rs.1,800 crore in the next 24 months.

http://sify.com/news/apollo-may-set-up-more-hospitals-in-west-bengal-news-health-kjctueihgdd.html

GETTING INTO ACT
West Bengal forms PCPIR mgmt board

TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Kolkata: The state government has finally constituted the West Bengal PCPIR Management Board last week,as per the provisions of PCPIR policy of the Centre.
State industry secretary Dipankar Mukherjee will be the chairman of the board,while MD & CEO of WBIIDC,Nandini Chakraborty will be the CEO.
To start with,the board will have 13 members,including finance secretary,environment secretary,urban development secretary,land reform secretary,chief executive officer of HDA,deputy chairman of KPT,representative of anchor developer etc.Besides,West Bengal government will induct three persons who have expertise in this field.
According to PCPIR policy,the management board is responsible for development and management of the region.It will also be empowered to issue or expedite statelevel approvals.
PCPIR regulation even permits the board to form a special-purpose vehicle in a corporate form headed by a chief executive officer,with sufficient autonomy,with participation from developers and the anchor tenant, sources close to the development said.
A state government official claimed that the management board in West Bengal PCPIR is first among all the proposed petroleum,chemicals and petrochemicals investment regions.We had a second review meeting with Union chemical and petrochemical secretary Bijoy Chatterjee on August 25 about PCPIR here, the official added.

Eden channel to start ops by March 11

TNN
Kolkata: In a development,that port officers believe will help to tide over the crisis being faced by the Haldia Dock Complex (HDC),Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) has awarded contract for removal of impediments in the western (Eden) channel.Work is likely to start soon and the channel is expected to be operational by March,2011.
KoPT Board cleared the proposal to reopen the Eden channel on August 24.Soon after this,a 7.65 crore contract was awarded to Maccaferri Environmental Solutions.The agency will remove the impediments in the channel,after which buoys and other navigation aids will be placed.The channel would have a draft of nearly 8.5 metres, a senior KoPT official said.
Port chairman M L Meena believes that this is a shortterm measure that will help to keep HDC afloat till facilities come up at Sagar Island.Meena hopes that if things work out,draft at HDC should go up by a metre.

Road database, with CII help

Kolkata: The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has come forward to help the government in its efforts to boost the state’s infrastructure sector. CII will engage a panel of experts to prepare a comprehensive database on 1,000 km of district roads in Bengal.
The database will serve as a ready reckoner for the state government, which will no longer have to appoint different agencies to conduct feasibility studies before undertaking any road-building or repairing project.
State government agencies, such as the public works department (PWD), face an uphill task repairing state highways and other district roads as they don’t have detailed masterplans of these stretches.
“We met CII representatives at Writers’ Buildings sometime ago and they are ready to conduct surveys on the district roads for a total of 1,000 km and come up with a comprehensive masterplan of the roads. We have sent the project plan to the finance department for clearance,” said PWD secretary Ajit R Bardhan.
CII eastern region director Saugata Mukherjee said they had proposed it before the government that there was a need to set up a road masterplan for the state to integrate the port areas and other important industrial zones. “There is a need to have a masterplan of the district and state roads and we can help the government on this,” Mukherjee said. The CII’s road core group, which is part of its infrastructure sub-committee, will work on this.
Bardhan said the masterplan would be of immense help to PWD. “As of now, there are no comprehensive masterplans of state highways and district roads with fast-moving traffic in the state. At the click of a computer mouse, we will be able to check the complete status of a particular highway. This will allow us to repair stretches of these thoroughfares whenever we are required to execute such work,” he said.
As of now, it takes PWD a lot of time just to start repairing damaged stretches of these highways and roads as they first have to conduct surveys. The data will help the authorities upgrade the district roads to state highways.
The PWD authorities are working on a Rs 150-crore plan to construct new road alignments that will improve connectivity between different national and state highways. The plan is at a preliminary stage.
The authorities are in the process of sending the project proposal to the Union ministry of road transport and highways. They are currently executing the Rs 350-crore ADBfunded state corridor development project, which involves widening of state highways and construction of new links.

SMOOTH DRIVE
Key highways to be widened, connected

Kolkata: The government plans to widen state highways 4 and 7 and connect them to serve as a single corridor between Haldia port and North Bengal. The corridor, it expects, will acquire the status of a national highway.
The state intends to seek funds for the proposed project from a reputable international funding agency, such as the World Bank or Asian Development Bank (ADB). Small patches of land will have to be acquired to connect the two state highways.
The public works department (PWD) has written to the department of economic affairs under the Union finance ministry with a request to approach an agency like ADB for the project preparatory technical assistance (PPTA).
“The plan is to widen and strengthen state highways 4 and 7 and connect the two for complete north-south connectivity,” said PWD secretary Ajit Ranjan Bardhan. “This road will also connect other major national and state highways and industrial areas of the state, from Haldia port to North Bengal, giving a boost to economic growth.” State Highway 4 passes through South Bengal districts while SH-7 connects North Bengal.
A detailed topographical survey will be carried out to identify low-lying areas along the proposed corridor. A land resettlement impact study will also be necessary for the small patches that will have to be acquired, said sources.
It is presumed that the bulk of traffic that currently moves along different national highways from North to South Bengal or in the opposite direction will use the new corridor.
PWD is already working on improving road connectivity across the state. The ADB-funded state corridor development project is currently under way. The much-delayed project involves widening and upgrade of existing state highways and construction of 14 feeder roads to connect with NH-34 at several points.

State to get a deep-sea fishing harbour in Nov
Kolkata: Come November and the state will get its first deep-sea fishing harbour near Contai in East Midnapore. The fishing harbour, whose foundation was laid by former governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi in 2006, will be inaugurated by governor M K Narayanan. The Rs 200-crore project has been funded by the Centre.
On Friday, state fisheries minister Kiranmoy Nanda said, “The harbour will do wonders to our fisheries sector. It will have a capacity to house 500 big trawlers and 300 smaller mechanised boats. Once fully functional, it will be in a position to export 3,500 tonne of fish daily. It will generate around 10,000 jobs in the area.”
Coming up at the Petuaghat harbour, it is the state’s first major coastal fisheries project that the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government will like to show off in the run-up to the assembly polls, specially when opposition Trinamool Congress has been increasingly widening its support base in the district which also houses Nandigram. The fisheries minister said construction of the harbour — second on the east coast after the one at Vizag — would meet the November deadline.
But this will only be the first phase (with Rs 60 crore sanctioned) of the project, which will include a state-of-the-art ice plant, modern processing plants, a GPS system and modern restrooms for fishermen. The fisheries minister said the deep-sea fishing harbour will also include four large jetties and a fuel pump. A part of the project is a road connecting the harbour to the mainland. There will be allied constructions as well. A senior fisheries department official said, “We will set up fish marketing centres at Sankarpur in the same district and Kakdwip and Sultanpur in South 24-Parganas.”
Stressing on tuna, salmon, mackerel and pomphret — fishes in great demand in the export market — the official added, “This will bring revenue for the state and fishermen, too, will get their returns.”

ABP reports that Gapcon Engineering (http://www.gapcon.com/cms/front_content.php?idcat=5&lang=2) (a German Company) is planning to invest Rs 15 crores in Kalyani on a 2 acre plot.

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/8310/gapconkalyani.jpg (http://img716.imageshack.us/i/gapconkalyani.jpg/)

http://epaper.telegraphindia.com/TT/TT/2010/09/11/Article//007/11_09_2010_007_020.jpg

http://epaper.telegraphindia.com/TT/TT/2010/09/12/Article//008/12_09_2010_008_020.jpg

DGCA hurdle to Cooch Behar air link

Subhro Niyogi | TNN
Kolkata: The Cooch Behar airport is ready for the first flight in nearly two decades.Deccan Charter is geared up to begin a daily service between Kolkata and Cooch Behar.Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials are waiting eagerly to put the north Bengal town back on the countrys air map.Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has given the clearance.But the endless wait for resumption of flights continues,with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) yet to give its nod.
The Cooch Behar airport is ready to handle flights.The 35-crore airport upgrade project was completed six months ago.A new terminal building to handle over 35,000 passengers per annum has been built.We have also set up a control tower with new technical block.BCAS officials have inspected the airport 20 days ago.Now,all we need is a clearance from DGCA to give Deccan Charter permission to land at Cooch Behar, AAI regional executive director Gautam Mukherjee said.
The last airline to operate a scheduled service to Cooch Behar was Vayudoot in the late 1980s.The airport had been opened only once since.That was three years ago when Air Deccan operated a probing flight.However,operations did not resume as Air Deccan was acquired by Vijay Mallya-owned Kingfisher Airlines that did not see much commercial sense in the sector.
Now,Gopinath is back with Deccan Charter to connect the airport.The non-scheduled operator jointly owned by Captain Gopinath has already resumed three daily flights to Jamshedpur with an 18 seater Beechcraft 1900 Delta aircraft a fortnight ago.We have kept a slot in the morning for a flight to Cooch Behar and hope the clearances arrive soon, Gopinath said.
But with DGCA becoming extra cautious after the Mangalore crash,permission is unlikely to come through in a hurry.According to sources,DGCA has asked AAI to file for Cooch Behar airports licence.Since the airport has not been functional for nearly two decades,the annual licence had lapsed long time ago.Though the agency would earlier give provisional clearance to operate flights,sources said it had become strict since the Air India Express crash.
Mukherjee said the licence application for Cooch Behar airport will be submitted on Tuesday.Thereafter,processing of the papers may take anything between a fortnight to a couple of months.However,with the state government keen to get the flights started,the civil aviation ministry may just be prodded to clear Cooch Behar on a fast-track basis.Incidentally,the state government has already agreed to under-write eight of the 18 seats on offer to ensure that Deccan Charters operation is viable.

Ess Dee Aluminium reopens India Foils unit
BS Reporter / Kolkata/ Hoera (west Bengal) September 13, 2010, 1:37 IST

The Hoera unit of India Foils Ltd today got a fresh lease of life as Ess Dee Aluminium re-opened the factory after six years.

India Foils, one of the largest producers of aluminium foil in Asia, has undergone a change in management twice, first under the B M Khaitan group and again in 2008 when Malco, part of the Vedanta group, sold the sick company to Ess Dee Aluminium.

Since then Ess Dee revived the Kamarhati plant in 2008 and now Hoera. The combined rolling capacity of the two units would be 19,000 tonne.

“We have invested around Rs 100 crore in the units,” Ess Dee Aluminium chairman, Sudip Datta, said.

This is just the first phase for Hoera. Another round of expansion is in the wings. “The Hoera plant has a huge land bank and we are exploring possibilities to set up another manufacturing facility which will double the capacity. West Bengal is strategically located and gives us immense scope as we strongly feel this could be the gateway to the eastern corridor of the world,” Datta said.

The Rs 1,600 crore Ess Dee Aluminium has a presence in the prophylactics segment and provides specialised aluminium foil-based laminates for contraceptive brands.

Ess Dee’s facility at Daman has been approved by contraceptive manufacturing companies like TTK and Hindustan Latex. The Hoera plant will further enhance production capabilities for the brands.

The Hoera unit will also supply foils to FMCG companies. “It will supply 400 tonne to ITC,” Datta said.

Ess Dee also caters to Nestle, Unilever and is a primary a packaging material producer to pharma companies like GSK, Pfizer, Aurovindo, Dr Reddy, Cipla, Lupin.

The newly built Medical College at Kalyani is scheduled to be inaugerated today.. :cheers:

ABG gets Haldia signal

Calcutta, Sept. 13: Shipping major ABG has finally started operations in Haldia after the Calcutta Port Trust (CPT) issued a final commissioning certificate to the company on Friday.

The company had received the letter of intent from the CPT in April last year and invested Rs 160 crore to install mechanised cargo handing facilities in two berths.

The company could not start operations in time — work was due from December — mainly because of rivalry between Left trade union Citu and workers backed by the Trinamul Congress.

The CPT also sat on the clearance that delayed the commissioning of the facility, which could increase productivity by 50 per cent.

ABG and its French partner LDA finally started operations after intervention by the Union shipping ministry and a nudge from Calcutta High Court.

The port stands to gain from the ABG facility as it will charge shippers Rs 210 per tonne of cargo, while paying ABG Rs 80.25 per tonne on berth 2 and Rs 69.05 per tonne on berth 8 to carry out operations using mobile harbour cranes.

ABG is expected to handle around 9 million tonnes of cargo (mainly import of coking/non coking coal) every year for 10 years.

Labour issues

Trouble began when ABG tried to recruit people through contractors. Contractors backed by the Left and the Trinamul both wanted to bag the deal. ABG then decided to induct people bypassing the contractors. The move irked both parties and they did not allow ABG dumpers to enter the dock area. The company did manage to bring 37 dumpers with protection from the Rapid Action Force following a court directive. It has taken some 400 people on its rolls.

ABG again went to court in July seeking a commissioning certificate from the CPT. The high court favoured ABG and asked the shipping ministry to do the needful. The ministry wrote to the port to issue the certificate.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100914/jsp/business/story_12933750.jsp

MoU for gas to Nayachar

Calcutta, Sept. 13: PCR Chemicals Pvt Ltd, the company developing a chemical hub at Nayachar island, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Air Liquide of France to supply industrial gas to potential customers.

Bengal commerce secretary Dipankar Mukhopadhyay said the French firm would set up pipelines on the island to provide gas.

He was speaking after the first meeting of the 13-member PCPIR management board chaired by chief secretary Ardhendu Sen.

The board reviewed the progress made by PCR Chemicals, the joint venture between private developer New Kolkata International Development and the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation.

“Air Liquide is a 100-year old company with operations across the world,” Mukhopadhyay said.

He said that Saudi Basic Industries Corporation had inquired about the project and the government had responded to it.

Nandini Chakravorty, CEO of the board, said final environmental clearance from the union government could come in February-March if the application was made by the end of this year.

Mukhopadhyay informed that the developer was ready to start actual construction after obtaining environmental clearance.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100914/jsp/business/story_12933747.jsp

Nadia, Sept 14 : West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today harped on the need to improve health facilities in the state which is home to 80 million people.

''There is an urgent need to improve health facilities in a state where 73 per cent of the people visit government hospitals for treatment,'' the Chief Minsiter said.

He was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the Kalyani Medical College and hospital here.

''This is an autonomous university medical college under the direct control of West Bengal University of Health Sciences,'' the Chief Minsiter said.

It spans across 76.3 acres in a single campus, he added.

On August 2, 100 students had been admitted to the college through the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination.

''Three new colleges are slated to come up in Kamarhat, Murshidabad and Malda,'' Mr Bhattacharjee said.

The Chief Minsiter also said stringent punishment would be meted out to those who indulge in violence or unleash atrocities on doctors alleging negligence of duty.

Source: calcuttaweb.com

Times of India, Sept 17,2010

Malda: Funds will not be a constraint for putting Malda back on India’s air map, but acquiring land to expand the exiting airfield or construct a greenfield one may be a hurdle. On Thursday, an Airports Aut ity of India (AAI) team led by regional executive directo (east) Gautam Mukhe jee visited the curren airfield as well as two ternative sites where the airport could be relocated. They were accompanied by MLAs of Englishbazar and Old Malda.
After the inspection, Mukherjee said highrise buildings and electricity and telecom towers, which had sprung up around the existing airfield, would be a major constraint in resuming operations.
“We also need more land to tend th e runway. But ith railway tracks at one nd and an embankment at the other, there is little scope of doing so at he existing airfield. ence, we have visited two other sites,” he said.
The team will submit its report to the aviation ministry soon for a nod before forwarding the acquisition proposal to the state government. TNN

TIMES NEWS NETWORK,Sept 17,2010

Kolkata: The construction of the proposed aerotropolis project at Andal near Durgapur is expected to start from October. The contract for the construction of the aerotropolis project was awarded to Simplex Infrastructure on Thursday.
Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Limited (BAPL) is constructing the Andal airport in which Changi Airports International (CAI) has 26% stake.
Wong Woon Liong, CEO, Changai Airport International discussed with chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee about the development of the project. Liong later said that he was happy with the land acquisition process and hoped that the construction would start soon.
Ardhendu Sen, chief secretary with whom Liong also discussed the project, said the construction was expected to start next week. Earlier, due to objection from Coal India over some coal blocks getting affected, the site map of aerotropolis had to be realigned.
Rajiv Mundhra, director, Simplex, said, “We are proud to have bagged the prestigious project for India’s first green field aerotropolis project. This would strengthen our foothold in the international aviation market.”
Simplex has been involved in the construction of new passenger terminal buildings in Udaipur and Jaipur airports for the Airports Authority of India.
The airport of 4C category will be a regional one, designed to handle aircraft such as Airbus 320/319 and Boeing 737. It will have an initial runway length of 2,800 m, extendible to 3,300 m to handle larger aircraft in future.
Officials said that the aerotropolis coming up in Burdwan district would draw an estimated investment of $4 billion. The project will involve setting up an industrial park, logistics hub and IT park, along with supporting infrastructure like housing, tourism, healthcare and social interchange facilities.
The airport will be developed over 300 hectare, while the supporting industrial and social infrastructure will be developed over 600 hectare.

Simplex Infra bags Aerotropolis project

Co To Design & Build Durgapur Airport City

ET KOLKATA
SIMPLEX Infrastructures has clinched the prized mandate to design and build the mega airport complex being set up by Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Ltd (BAPL) in Durgapur.
Simplex has edged out engineering big guns,like L&T and HCC India,who were also in the race to bag the airport construction mandate.BAPL,in which Singapores Changi Airport holds 26%,is setting up the airport city in Durgapur a Rs 10,000-crore project.
A letter of award has been issued by BAPL to Simplex for immediate commencement of work at site.BAPL is developing a regional airport in Durgapur which is designed to handle aircraft like Airbus 320/319 and Boeing 737.
The airport will have an initial runway length of 2,800 m,extendable to 3,300 m in order to handle larger aircraft in the future.We have entered into a 15-month contract with Simplex within which the construction work of the airport will have to be completed.Simplex plans to kick off work at the site from tomorrow, Subrata Paul,chief executive officer,BAPL,told ET.
BAPLs airport city project is one of the few in the state that has not faced any land acquisition problem.The project will cover an area of 2,180 acres.Of this,the airport will be spread over some 600 acres.There will be a logistics park,an IT park,an industrial park,residential township and community infrastructure,like schools and hospitals.
The masterplan and concept design for the airport has been prepared by Changi Airports Planners & Engineers (CAPE),an affiliate of Changi Airports India.CAPE specialises in airport planning and operates out of Singapore.Its portfolio includes airports in China,India,Latin America,Europe and the Middle East.
CAPE has ensured the contemporary design meets functional efficiency and international standards.It has drawn up the necessary specification for the tender document for designand-build contract and assisted BAPL to shortlist and select the successful bidder.
Wong Woon Liong,chairman,CAPE,said the project has been progressing as planned,with the award of the design-and-build contract being a significant milestone.CAPE is pleased to be able to participate in the development of this Aerotroplis project.With this definitive milestone,we will continue to use our expertise to support the expansion of the Durgapur Aerotropolis into a major industrialised area, he added.
Simplex,on the other hand,has completed more than 2,100 successful projects in India and abroad.It has been involved in the construction of new passenger terminal buildings in Udaipur and Jaipur airports for the Airports Authority of India.
Commenting on this award,Rajiv Mundhra,director,Simplex,said: We are proud to have bagged the Durgapur airport project.This project will further boost our presence in the aviation sector.

জাপানি সংস্থার সঙ্গে দুর্গাপুরে লগ্নি সেলের
ইস্পাত শিেল্প আরও একটি লগ্নি পেতে চলেছে রাজ্য।

রাষ্ট্রায়ত্ত সংস্থা িস্টল অথরিটি অফ ইিণ্ডয়া (সেল) জাপানি সংস্থা কোবে িস্টলের সঙ্গে গাঁটছড়া বেঁধে দুর্গাপুরে একটি প্রকল্প তৈরির পরিকল্পনা করছে। লগ্নির পরিমাণ ৫,০০০ কোটি টাকা।

শনিবার কলকাতায় মাইনিং, জিওলজিকাল অ্যাণ্ড মেটালার্জিকাল ইনিস্টটিউট-এর একটি অনুষ্ঠানে সেল কতOর্পক্ষ জানান দুর্গাপুরে অ্যালয় িস্টল কারখানার জমিতে তৈরি হবে প্রকল্পটি। সংস্থার চেয়ারম্যান সি এস বর্মা বলেন, “কোবে-র জাপানি প্রযুক্তি ব্যবহার করে ৫ লক্ষ টন ইস্পাত তৈরি করা হবে। দু’মাসের মধ্যে উৎপাদনের খুঁটিনাটি নিেয় সিদ্ধান্ত হবে। তৈরি হবে ইস্পাতের ‘নাগেট’ বা তাল।”

পূর্বাঞ্চলে আরও একটি প্রকেল্পর উেল্লখ করেন বর্মা। তিনি জানান, ঝাড়খণ্ডের বোকারোতে কোরীয় ইস্পাত সংস্থা পেস্কার সঙ্গে নভেম্বর মাসেই চুক্তি সই হবে। প্রাথমিক পর্যােয় ১৫ লক্ষ টন ইস্পাত উৎপাদন কর া হবে । লগ্নি ১২ থেকে ১৫ হাজার কোটি টাকা।

এ দিনের অনুষ্ঠানে উপিস্থত ছিলেন কেন্দ্রীয় ইস্পাতমন্ত্রী বীরভদ্র সিংহ। খননকারী সংস্থার লাভের ২৬% স্থানীয় মানুষদের দেওয়ার প্রস্তাবিত আইন নিেয় তিনি বলেন, “নীতিগত ভাবে এই প্রস্তাব ভাল। তবে কতটা লভ্যাংশ দেওয়া হবে, তা আলোচনা করেই ঠিক হবে।” অবশ্য এ নিেয় আপত্তি জানিেয় বর্মা বলেন, প্রস্তাবটি বাস্তবসম্মত নয়।
http://anandabazar.com/19bus2.htm


Kobe charts Bengal route Japanese firm in talks with SAIL
OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
Steel minister Virbhadra Singh (right) and SAIL chairman C.S. Verma in Calcutta on Saturday. Picture by Kishor Roy Chowdhury

Calcutta, Sept. 18: Japanese companies are keen on investing in Bengal. After JFE and Sumitomo Metal, Kobe Steel wants to set up a speciality steel plant in Bengal.

Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) is in talks with Kobe on the proposed plant in the state.

SAIL chairman C.S. Verma today said a detailed project report was being prepared for the venture. “It is likely to be an investment of Rs 5,000 crore,” he said.

Land required for the plant will be under 100 acres. SAIL is planning to use excess land within Alloy Steels Plant at Durgapur to build the unit.

The capacity of the unit is likely to be 0.5 million tonnes of iron ore nuggets where ferrous content will be nearly 95 per cent.

Kobe has proprietary technology to make these nuggets using low-grade iron ore. Moreover, the nuggets can be manufactured without using coking coal, a key steel making raw material that is in short supply in India.

“We are keen to join hands with foreign companies who can provide us new technology. This is why we are in talks with Posco and Kobe Steel,” Union steel minister Virbhadra Singh said.

Singh and Verma were in Calcutta to participate in a seminar on raw material security for the steel industry organised by the Mining, Geological and Metallurgical Institute of India.

SAIL officials said the new unit would come up at the Durgapur plant because it could best integrate with the new technology.

The nuggets are used in an electric arc furnace, which only the Alloy Steels Plant has within SAIL. Outside Japan, Kobe’s technology has been put to use only in Minnesota, in the US so far.

Focus on Bengal

Japanese companies’ have so far shown a steady interest in Bengal, especially in the steel sector. The world’s fifth largest steel producer, JFE, came to India to forge a joint venture with Sajjan Jindal’s JSW Bengal Steel to build a plant at Salboni.

The duo is still in talks even as JFE has invested about a billion in JSW Steel, the holding company of JSW Bengal.

Sumitomo Metal Corporation is also keen to partner Bhushan Steel to build a plant near Asansol. However, the project is yet to take off because of non availability of land. Jindal is yet to start work despite having land.

Since SAIL has the land and fund, Kobe’s project may take off faster than its other Japanese peers. Bengal has been the beneficiary of one of the biggest Japanese FDIs in the Mitsubishi PTA plant at Haldia.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100919/jsp/business/story_12954779.jsp

http://epaper.telegraphindia.com/TT/TT/2010/09/19/Article//008/19_09_2010_008_005.jpg

Source: The Telegraph

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/5017/21092010010030.jpg

Check out this article from mint today,as usual WB is going to the dogs report.

WBIDC, or West Bengal Industrial Development Corp. Ltd--the key facilitator for industrial pro- jects in the state--on Monday moved to a new address: 23 Ca- mac Street. From a rundown building in Kolkata's Dalhousie Square to a plush new building, WBIDC made the journey in about three years.

Conceived in October 2007, when almost all industrialists wanted “a slice of Bengal“, the building was to symbolize “a re- surgent Bengal“, according to a key state government official.

“But where are the investors?“ asks the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

While WBIDC's `20 crore of- fice, called Protiti, which in Ben- gali means trust, was being built, a lot has changed in West Ben- gal: The Tata Motors Ltd show- case Nano car project has moved from Singur to Sanand in Gujarat; the Apeejay Group has pul- led the plug on a port that it was to build in partnership with Bharati Shipyard Ltd; and a project by Indonesia's Salim Group is hanging fire.

Faith in the state's potential has been shaken and the ruling Left Front is facing a “huge anti- incumbency wave“, said the offi- cial cited earlier.

“Files would definitely move faster now,“ he said. The com- merce and industries depart- ment is in a building right opposite the new office. The old office was 3km away.

Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said at the build- ing's opening that the drive for industrialization continues, not- withstanding setbacks and that the state had received at least `8,500 crore in industrial invest- ments in the year till March.

Even after Tata Motors aban- doned its project, the state has managed to acquire 6,500 acres of land, he said. “People of Ben- gal, especially the younger generation, want the state to be at- tractive for investment.“

Large projects are in limbo, and the key reason for it is the state government's inability to acquire land, according to Kaly- an Sanyal, professor of econom- ics at the University of Calcutta.

“After the Nano project was driven out of the state, people are sceptical, and quite under- standably so,“ he says.

After winning the 2006 assem- bly election with a landslide ver- dict, Bhattacharjee tried to move fast, and launched land acquisi- tion drives across the state. He faced criticism within and out- side his party but remained firm in his decision to push for indus- trialization, until successive elec- tions in the state showed people were abandoning the Left Front for the Trinamool Congress, the state's main opposition party.

On Monday, Bhattacharjee said the Land Acquisition Act “lacked balance“ and that it should be amended, echoing Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, who is also the Union rail minister.

It's not often that they have agreed on something. The last time they did was

Accenture to foray into Bengal; to employ 1,000 in first phase

Kolkata is all set to have a new entrant in the information technology (IT) space. Global technology and consultancy giant, Accenture, is currently in the process of setting up operations, by way of a software development and delivery centre in Rajarhat.

The company has already started construction work at DLF New Town Heights, located in Rajarhat, where the office would be set up, said a highly placed source within the told Business Standard.

Accenture, which had been was rumored to establish presence in the city for the past two years, has scheduled the start of operations in the city by the end of the year.
“We have been planning to establish operations in Kolkata for a while now, but have plans have faced delays. The plan now is to start operations by the end of the year. In the first phase, we will hire about 1, 200 professionals”, said the source.

For this purpose, employees from Hyderabad and Bangalore, interested in transfer to Kolkata have already been asked to requisition applications.

“We are aware that they are planning to establish a presence in Kolkata by the end of the year, with an initial strength of over 1, 000 employees. They have been boosted by the superior infrastructure and the talent pool that the city offers to IT companies”, said West Bengal minister for IT, Debesh Das.

A team from Accenture was in the city, last week surveying progress of operations, the official said, adding that the Kolkata plan had been in the pipeline for a while but was delayed because of a spectrum of issues ranging from recession to operational requirement fulfillment.

It might be noted that Accenture plans to add around 8,000 people in India by the end of 2010, taking its total employee base in the country to 50,000.

Accenture has a presence in Hyderabad, Bangalore, Mumbai, Gurgaon, New Delhi, Pune and Chennai across India.

The IT giant has annual revenues of $21.58 billion for fiscal 2009, has earlier announced its focus on strengthening clients in telecommunications, pharmaceutical and energy sectors in the country.

http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/accenture-to-foray-into-bengal-to-employ-1000-in-first-phase/408666/

:cheers:

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/6828/sagarl.jpg (http://img137.imageshack.us/i/sagarl.jpg/)

The Statesman

WB cabinet approves 21,318 new posts in six months
PTI | 09:09 PM,Sep 22,2010
Kolkata, Sep 22 (PTI) The West Bengal government has created 21,318 new posts during the first six months of the current financial year."The newly created 21,318 posts comprise 8724 posts in various departments and 12,594 teaching and non-teaching staff under school education during April to September," Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta said today.Besides, 72 new posts have been created under Jadavpur University, Rabindra Bharati University and Kalyani University in the state during the period, he said.The cabinet also unanimously accepted Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee''s proposal to rename New Town as ''Jyoti Basu Nagar'' after former chief minister Jyoti Basu.The cabinet also decided to monitor development of roads including national highways in north Bengal. Dasgupta and PWD Minister Kshiti Goswami would visit north Bengal soon to review the repair of NH-31A from Siliguri to Alipurduar.Alleging that the NHAI was not doing maintenance properly, Dasgupta said that the chief minister would write to the Union Surface Transport Minister soon demanding repair and maintenance of national highways on an emergency basis.The cabinet also observed that despite some rains in recent days, the drought situation remained nearly the same with 30 to 32 per cent deficit of rainfall, while no cultivation was possible on 10.52 lakh hectare, he said.The cabinet kept stalled the Municipal Affairs department''s proposal to appoint 12 vigilance inspectors under Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) for review by the departments of Finance, Home and Municipal Affairs, Dasgupta said.


PTI

:lol:

whats so funny about it?

Shipping-defence min logjam over Diamond Harbour terminal deepens

The difference between shipping and defence ministries over land transfer for a container terminal at Diamond Harbour in Kolkata is set to intensify with the former shooting off a draft Cabinet note on the issue without the consent of the latter.

Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) needs nearly 125 acre of land for creating the terminal on the Hooghly river, of which 43 hectare on the river front are in defence ministry’s control. However, the project is stuck as Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), a ship-builder administered by defence ministry, wants to utilise the land for its own use and is against its release.

In the draft note, the shipping ministry has proposed to give a 43-acre plot of land at Majerhat to the defence ministry in place of latter’s land. The port had earlier considered offering two dry docks in Netaji Subhas dock to GRSE on long-term lease as they were mostly used by naval vessels.

“We have given 15 days time to defence ministry to raise objections to the proposal. In case no objections are raised, we will go forward and file a Cabinet note,” a senior official in the shipping ministry told FE asking not to be named.

The container terminal at Diamond Harbour is significant for KoPT as the entire harbour has a 7-10 metre draft with almost no siltation and hence does not need regular dredging. KoPT’s existing terminals have to undergo frequent dredging with the central government subsidy. In March this year, the Centre released nearly Rs 300 crore to KoPT for dredging work in 2009-10.

The ministry official said the terminal would facilitate a lower waiting time for ships with complete barge movement. Average turnaround time at the port has been increasing year-on-year. It was 5.47 days in 2009-10 against 4.6 days in the previous year. In August 2010, it was 4.74 days as compared to 4.59 a year ago.

The terminal is expected to cost more than Rs 1,500 crore for construction with four ship jetties and three barge jetties. The annual capacity of the terminal would be 1.6 million twenty-feet equivalent unit. KoPT has arranged for nearly 80 acre of land with West Bengal government, Directorate General of Lighthouse & Lightships and Indian Railways committing to hand over some of their land holdings.

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Shippingdefence-min-logjam-over-Diamond-Harbour-terminal-deepens/685513/

Avantha Group eyes 34k-cr topline

ET KOLKATA
AVANTHA Group,the 20,000-crore paperto-power conglomerate,is targeting 34,000-crore turnover within five years.The group,which comprises companies like Ballarpur Industries Ltd (Bilt),Crompton Greaves (CG),Avantha Power & Infrastructure among others,has decided to expand through organic and inorganic routes to reach this turnover.
As part of this expansion plan,Bilt may also look at entering into paperboard business,which it had exited in 2003.Incidentally,ITC had acquired the paperboard division of Bilt Industrial Packaging Company Ltd (BIPCO) for nearly 233 crore.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of 37th AIMA national management convention,Gautam Thapar,chairman and CEO of Avantha Group,said: We are open to the idea of entering into paperboard business.But our first priority is to increase our paper capacity.We will be achieving 1-million-tonne capacity in the current fiscal.We plan to increase it to 2 mt within the next five years.We will be investing 4,000 crore in Bilt to expand the capacity.
Mr Thapar added that plans are also afoot to expand Bilts retail network,which is known as P3.We have 13 multi-branded outlets across the country.We would like to expand this network.We will sell any sort of stationeries through these outlets.
Crompton Greaves (CG),the power T&D equipment manufacturing company within Avantha Group,is setting up a 240-crore facility in Madhya Pradesh.We are also looking at acquiring or setting up a greenfield power equipment manufacturing facility in South America, Mr Thapar said.CG has two manufacturing facilities in North America,four in Europe and one each in India,Saudi Arabia and Indonesia.
However,he did not indicate what will be the quantum of investment in South America.My management board has not yet spelt out the quantum of investment, he said.Incidentally,CG had planned to invest $300-600 million in South America for acquiring a power equipment company,according to reports.

Biltech Building sets up 20-cr facility

BILTECH Building Elements Ltd,an Avantha Group company,has invested 20 crore for setting up a fly-ash-based building material facility at Budge Budge,reports Our Bureau in Kolkata.The fly-ash will be sourced from CESCs power plant located in the area.The construction work of the facility has begun and is expected to be completed by March 2011.The unit will manufacture building blocks that are generally used in ultra-modern high-rises.This will be the third facility of the company.The other two are in Haryana and Maharashtra.We will also set up another such facility in Chennai, Mr Thapar added.

As per Rediff

http://business.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/sep/20/slide-show-1-what-should-mamata-do-to-revive-bengals-economy.htm

The 33 years of Left rule has left West Bengal in a state of economic disrepair. Observers point out that industries in West Bengal have died or run away, the condition of the poor in the state has worsened, new investment is hard to come by, unemployment is rising, development is at a standstill.


Investment Projects

http://www.indiainfoline.com/Markets/News/10-percent-rise-in-investment-projects-in-q1-of-2010-11-ASSOCHAM/4938223906

The value of investment projects under implementation in the first quarter of 2010-11 (April-June) in twenty major states has increased from Rs. 42.9 lakh crores to Rs. 47.3 lakh crores i.e. ten per cent increase over 3 months to March 2010.

The study undertaken by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), has revealed that as of March 2010, on an average only a meager 48.9 per cent of total investments (Rs. 1,04,93,780 crores in 2009-10) pledged were under implementation and projects worth more than half have not been progressing.

The statewise breakup of investment under implementation as on June ’10 (Rs. Crores) has been Maharashtra (666065), Orissa (498190), Gujarat (487361), Andhra Pradesh (478612), Tamil Nadu (334960), UP (326356), Haryana (318488), West Bengal (288109), Karnataka (279033), Jharkhand (173008), Chhattisgarh (167557), Madhya Pradesh (165848), Kerala (126223), Punjab (115683), Rajasthan (84955), Bihar (59339), Jammu & Kashmir (44339), Himachal Pradesh (43928), Uttrakhand (38869), Assam (36124).

The rate of implementation (% share in total live investments) as per June 2010 in prominent states, has been the most in Haryana (81.5) followed by UP (70.6), Assam (65.9), Maharashtra (61.7), Punjab (60), Andhra Pradesh (58.5), Himachal Pradesh (56), Jammu & Kashmir (53.1), Kerala (51.9), Bihar (50.5), West Bengal (49.4), Tamil Nadu (47.7), Orissa (44.3), Chhattisgarh (40.6), Madhya Pradesh (40.2), whereas states like Uttrakhand (39.1), Gujarat (38.9), Rajasthan (34.7), Karnataka (32.7) and Jharkhand (28.2).

This thread is named "West Bengal - Projects and Development". The story below, I guess, comes under the category of "development". We breed like rabbits and occupy the little space that is left for others. Elephant killing has been happening in our state for a long time now, and, as usual, no visible differences in administrative action. Journalists should follow the responsible authorities from morning till night and let us know how these babus spend their time.

Seven Elephants Killed by Speeding Train (http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/west-bengal-seven-elephants-killed-by-speeding-train-54181)

West Bengal: Seven elephants killed by speeding train
Press Trust of India, Updated: September 23, 2010 12:56 IST

Jalpaiguri, West Bengal: Seven elephants were killed and one injured when a speeding goods train hit the animals while they were crossing the railway tracks near Binnaguri in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal, Forest Department sources said on Thursday.

Five elephants were killed on the spot late Wednesday night while two others succumbed to their injuries this morning, Divisional Forest Officer (Wildlife) Sunita Ghatak said.

A herd of elephants was crossing the railway tracks while going from Moraghat forest to Diana forest last night, when two baby elephants got trapped on the tracks, she said.

When other elephants came to the rescue of the baby elephants, a goods train which was passing through at that time hit them, killing five elephants on the spot and injuring three, the DFO said.

While two of the injured animals succumbed to their injuries this morning, another elephant is injured, she said.

Movement of trains on the track which connects New Jalpaiguri with Assam was suspended till this morning as another herd of elephants was guarding the dead and injured elephants, the DFO said.

Three months ago, another elephant was run over and killed by a train near the same spot.

Speeding trains often hit elephants in the area as the railway line crosses the elephant corridor, forest officials said.

Railway officials have been requested a number of times to restrict the speed limit of trains plying in the area to 40-km/hr for the safety of the elephants, they said.

The Forest Department has lodged an FIR under the Wildlife Protection Act against the Railways alleging that the train was running at about 70 kmph, violating the speed restriction of 25 kmph to 40 kmph in the area.

"The question of speed restriction does not arise since the train was not passing through the Elephant Corridor," Alipurduar Divisional Railway Manager Sachhidanand Sinha said.

The elephants suddenly appeared on the track and the driver could not stop the train, he said.

However, Forest Minister Ananta Roy said the Railways were not cooperating with the forest department "as it is insensitive to the issue."

The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Atanu Raha said that the Railways had been time and again requested to restrict the speed of the passing trains to 20 kmph in the Elephant Corridor, but no response had been received so far.

The train, he said, was moving so fast that it dragged an elephant to a distance of 200 metres from the spot.

Raha said that accidents involving elephants had increased after conversion of the tracks from meter gauge to broad gauge.

"Elephants are intelligent. When the tracks were metre gauge only a couple of passenger trains ran in a day which the elephants knew about and they avoided the tracks at such times," Raha said.

Since the tracks have been converted to broad gauge, goods trains pass through at different times of the day, which has confused the pachyderms about train timings, leading to an increase in the number of accidents on the railway tracks passing through elephant corridors, he said.

^^ Oh! Wait.. This is also a conspiracy against IR and Railway Ministers. CPM goons sent that “elephant suicide squad” on the railway track :lol:

There are probably 250 people (I am sure the number is way more than that) died in last couple of months in several railway accident. Still I don't hear simple things like implementing anti collision railway devices in urgent basis all over the IR network. All they are busy showing their ugly faces on the newspapers. How can you guys even expect IR even cares about few poor elephants? Again shame on IR..

:lol:

Roads worth Rs 6,000 cr in pipeline for Bengal (http://sify.com/news/roads-worth-rs-6-000-cr-in-pipeline-for-bengal-news-national-kjxmleehhhd.html)

2010-09-23 12:11:04


Kolkata: West Bengal has been awarded projects worth Rs 3,360 crore covering 330 km in the past eight months and projects worth Rs 6,000 crore are in the pipeline for the state, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Kamal Nath said here on Wednesday.

whats so funny about it?

naming the new town again after some mara hua banda :bash:

^^

Better than naming it while your alive. *ahem*mayawati*

The party of NA and NO continues inciting trouble against projects. This time the target is the prestigious Bengal Aerotropolis Project

Andal heat on govt

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100925/jsp/bengal/story_12980145.jsp

Over 300 farmers whose plots have been acquired for the Airport City project in Burdwan’s Andal today held a rally there demanding more compensation and jobs.

The farmers, owing allegiance to the Trinamul Congress and the SUCI, demanded 50 per cent of the land value for sharecroppers against the 25 per cent offered by the government. They also demanded that affected farm labourers be given five years’ wages. The government has offered 250 days’ wages.

The farmers asked for a job for one member of every family that has given land for the project, in line with Mamata Banerjee’s job offer to families that have given land for railway projects.

The rally was attended by farmers from Andal, Bhadur and Dhupchururia. The administration is yet to hand over the 400 acres of land acquired in these three mouzas to the promoter, Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Limited (BAPL). Local Trinamul leaders and the SUCI MP from Joynagar, Tarun Mandal, addressed the rally.

The farmers said the BAPL had not invited the land losers to the “bhumi puja” on September 17, the day the company began work on the 1,800 acres it has received for the project so far.

Ashoke Ganguly, whose six-acre plot in Andal has been acquired, said: “Eastern Coalfields and the railways had earlier acquired land in Andal but they had given more compensation and also offered jobs. I want the government to pay me Rs 21 lakh for each acre.”

Mandal, the MP, said the BAPL should have acquired the land directly from the farmers. He criticised the government for “acting like a land broker”.

naming the new town again after some mara hua banda :bash:

what's tragic is killing the brand recall of rajarhat and naming it after a person who was the leader of his "parrty," not the people of bengal. and who is largely responsible for the state of bengal as it is today. i hate the new name of new town from the bottom of my heart.

I also agree with you mountaincloud.For him only,half the educated bengalis are out of bengal.s****t

Hope "metro rail station renaming saga" will act on it after 2011 election:nuts:

IIPL,SJDA to set up Rs 800-cr IT park in Siliguri

Debasis Sarkar SILIGURI
ET
KOLKATA-BASED Infinity Infotech Parks Ltd (IIPL) signed an MoU with Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA) on Friday to develop an IT park.The first phase of the Rs 800-crore project is expected to become operational in 24 months.In the presence of West Bengal state urban development minister and SJDA chairman Asok Bhattacharya,the MoU was signed by JP Meena,CEO,SJDA and P Chamaria,executive director,IIPL.
SJDA and IIPL will form a joint venture company with 50:50 stake to develop and run the IT Park.IIPL has been chosen through a competitive bidding process.Twenty five acres have already been allotted for the project, said Mr Bhattacharya.
After signing the MoU,Mr Chamaria told ET: Over 39 lakh sq feet of built-up space in the IT park,below 20% of the entire area,will create direct job opportunity for 40,000 heads.
debasis.sarkar@timesgroup.com
:cheers:

New Town should not be named after Jyoti Basu. There are other parts of Kolkata that are more appropiate for him. My earlier post regarding this renaming business was removed by moderator.

http://epaper.telegraphindia.com/TT/TT/2010/09/26/Article//008/26_09_2010_008_031.jpg

New Town should not be named after Jyoti Basu. There are other parts of Kolkata that are more appropiate for him. My earlier post regarding this renaming business was removed by moderator.

it should be name jyotinagar..not jyotibasu nagar..thats too long and winded

jyotinagar is cute and i approve..

just like bidhannagar is cute and i approve.

IEMs flood West Bengal despite political turmoil

http://sify.com/finance/iems-flood-west-bengal-despite-political-turmoil-news-equity-kj1a4Vbfjbg.html

Despite the political turmoil in West Bengal, the state received 206 IEMs (Industrial Entrepreneural Memorandums) involving an investment of Rs 44,390 crore in 2009.

Sector-wise, the maximum investment proposals came from the iron and steel sector, according to the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) annual report. Iron and steel was followed by the power sector, engineering, chemical and petrochemical, cement and allied industry.

Not just domestic, around eight foreign direct investment proposals received approval.

The global economic crisis in the second half of 2008, however, affected implementation of several projects.

"Given the situation, 262 industrial units in the organised medium and large-scale sector commenced production in the year 2009 involving an investment of Rs 8,493.43 crore resulting in employment generation for 23,451 persons.

Sector-wise projects implemented during 2009 reveals that chemical and petrochemical and allied industries received maximum investment, followed by engineering, agro-based and food processing, iron and steel," the report mentioned.

Among the important projects implemented in 2009 are: Haldia Petrochemical's Super Max project (Rs 1230 crore), Hooghly Met Coke & Power (Rs 470 crore), IOC's Haldia Refinery expansion (Rs 1369 crore), MCC PTA (Rs 1,920 crore).

Data on projects under implementation reveals that there are 97 major industrial projects currently under implementation at the state level involving an investment of Rs 1,62,047 crore, which are likely to be completed in 2010, 2011 or 2012.

The overall industrial growth as measured in terms of index industrial production with new base year 1999-2000 grew by five per cent in April-November 2009-2010 as compared to 3.9 per cent in the corresponding period of 2008-09.

a bit old news from 16 sept but not posted here

City to get new IT park in east Kolkata

West Bengal chief minister (CM) Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today, laid the foundation stone for the East Kolkata information technology (IT) park, spread over 10 acre, with a proposed investment of over Rs5,000 crore.

Located at Nonadanga, the park will see investments from Rolta India, HSBC Electronics Data Processing and HCL Infosystems, each of whom would get 5, 3.5 and 1.5 acres respectively, and will be completed in five years.

“Ten thousand high-end jobs will be created in Kolkata when the park becomes operational and it is a sign of our commitment towards the sunshine sector in West Bengal,” said the CM at the inauguration of the IT Park here today.
Geospatial and Geographic information system (GIS) technology major, Rolta India will set up a research and development (R&D) centre, providing employment to 5,000 people.

“We plan to invest Rs2,500 crore over the next five years in the development of this centre. Construction is slated to start within the next year and half. What we plan to develop here is an R&D and a software development centre,” said K K Singh, chairman and CEO, Rolta Group.

IT major HCL Infosystems, on the other hand, will set up a capacity building skill development centre, software integration laboratory at its centre in Nonadanga, to be known as the HCL Regional Headquarter and Center of Excellence.

“The centre”, according to executive vice president, HCL Infosystems, George Paul, “will be instrumental in setting up specially designed software services and system integration product labs.”

The East Kolkata IT Park will be the fourth such endeavour of the Bengal government. The earlier ones include IT hubs at Salt Lake Sector-V, Rajarhat and Bantala.

Admitting that the state had been a late starter as far as development of the IT sector was concerned, Bhattacharjee said that the policies for IT in Bengal were formed only in 2002-03.

West Bengal IT minister, Debesh Das, said, “The park is a key milestone in the progress of the state’s industrial development especially given that it will lead to the creation of 50,000 indirect jobs over and above the 10,000 direct ones”.

Also present at the event were, N R Banerjee, chairman, West Bengal Electronics Industry Development Corporation (Webel), and Tamal Dasgupta, managing director, Webel.



Business Standard

It has been posted in many other threads:nuts:
Check please

E-District Project in Bankura and Jalpaiguri.

Citizenship certificate,Income certificate,Widow allowance etc. service will be done in a short time.

Planning by PWC.
Software by TCS

‘ই-ডিিষ্ট্রক্ট’ প্রকল্প বাঁকুড়া, জলপাইগুিড়তে

নিজস্ব সংবাদদাতা ² কলকাতা

বাঁকুড়া ও জলপাইগুিড় জেলায় চালু হেয় গেল ‘ই-ডিিষ্ট্রক্ট’ পাইলট প্রকল্প। প্রকেল্পর অন্তর্গত নাগরিক পরিষেবা কেন্দ্র থেকে বিভিন্ন ধরনের ভাতা, শংসাপত্র ও লাইসেন্স দেওয়া হবে। রাজ্য সরকারের দাবি, আগামী এক মাসের মধ্যে জমি সংক্রান্ত নথিপত্র ও জাতের শংসাপত্রও দেওয়া হবে। বিধানসভা নির্বাচনের আগেই রাজ্য জুেড় ‘ই-ডিিষ্ট্রক্ট’ প্রকল্প চালু হেয় যাবে বলে দাবি।

সোমবার মহাকরণে ভিডিও কনফারেেন্সর মাধ্যমে প্রথমে জলপাইগুিড় ও পরে বাঁকুড়া জেলায় ই-ডিিষ্ট্রক্ট প্রকেল্পর উেদ্বাধন করেন মুখ্যমন্ত্রী বুদ্ধদেব ভট্টাচার্য। জলপাইগুিড় কিয়েস্ক যাঁরা সরকারি পরিষেবা পেতে লাইন দিেয়ছিলেন, তাঁদের শুভেচ্ছা জানিেয় তিনি বলেন, “শংসাপত্র বা লাইসেন্স পেতে একাধিক সরকারি দফতরে আর ছুটে বেড়াতে হবে না। দফতরে দফতরে ছোটাছুটি করে যে কাজ করতে দু’তিন মাস লাগে, তা কেয়ক মিনিটে হেয় যাবে এখানে।”

বুদ্ধবাবুর সঙ্গে দেবেশ দাস। — নিজস্ব চিত্র

এই প্রকেল্পর অন্তর্গত নাগরিক পরিষেবা কেন্দ্র থেকে সাধারণ মানুষ তথ্যপ্রযুক্তির মাধ্যমে বিভিন্ন সরকারি পরিষেবা পাবেন। অনুষ্ঠানে উপিস্থত তথ্যপ্রযুক্তি মন্ত্রী দেবেশ দাস জানান, আপাতত মিলবে আয় ও নাগরিকেত্বর শংসাপত্র, পেনশন, বিধবা, বার্ধক্য ভাতা, জন-অভিযোগ, লাইসেন্স, ক্ষুদ্র ও মাঝারি শিেল্পর অনুদান-সহ বিভিন্ন পরিষেবা। তাঁর দাবি, আগামী এক মাসের মধ্যেই তফশিলি জাতি, উপজাতি ও অনগ্রসর সম্প্রদােয়র শংসাপত্র এবং ভূমি রাজস্ব দফতরের বিভিন্ন পরিষেবা মিলবে এই দুই জেলায়।

প্রসঙ্গত, কেেন্দ্রর আর্থিক সহায়তায় দেশ জুেড় চলছে ই-গভর্ন্যান্স প্রকল্প। মূল লক্ষ্য কিম্পউটারের মাধ্যমে প্রশাসনের সঙ্গে নাগরিকের সরাসরি সংযোগ তৈরি করে দেওয়া, যাতে কোনও ফর্ম বা শংসাপত্রের জন্য বিভিন্ন সরকারি দফতরে দৌেড় বেড়াতে না হয়। কিম্পউটারে যাবতীয় সরকারি তথ্য ও নথিপত্র ধরে রাখাই এর প্রধান উেদ্দশ্য। এই তথ্যের জোগানের অভাবেই প্রথম দফায় এ রাজ্যে ই-গভর্ন্যান্স প্রকল্প সফল হয়নি। সংিশ্লষ্ট মহলের মতে, ‘বাংলার মুখ’ নামে েসই তথ্য পরিষেবা কেন্দ্রগুলি মুখ থুবেড় পেড়ছিল মূলত সরকারি গাফিলতি এবং যোগাযোগ ব্যবস্থার অভাবে।

সুতরাং শুধুই প্রযুক্তি নয়। পাশাপাশি থাকতে হবে তথ্যের জোগান। এ কথা মাথায় রেখেই প্রকল্প পরিকল্পনা করেছে উপদেষ্টা সংস্থা প্রাইসওয়াটারহাউস কুপার্স। সফটওয়্যার তৈরি করেছে টিসিএস। কোন দফতরের কোন আধিকারিকের কাছে দরখাস্ত পেড় রেয়ছে, তাও জানা যাবে এই কেেন্দ্র। যে কোনও পরিষেবা পাওয়ার সময়সীমাও জানা যাবে। ফলে অনেকটাই স্বচ্ছতা ও দ্রুততার সঙ্গে সরকারি পরিষেবা পৌঁছনো সম্ভব হবে।
http://anandabazar.com/28bus2.htm

^^naicee :cheers:
_________________
Source (http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/westbengal/Mamata-vows-development-but-says-no-to-Gorkhaland/Article1-605382.aspx)

Mamata vows development, but says no to Gorkhaland

Ruling out any chance of agreeing to carve Gorkhaland out of Bengal, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee promised a bouquet of development for the hills on Monday that ranged from a special economic package including tax holiday and 10,000 new jobs for the local youth. The Trinamool chief emphasised the ongoing agitation was for developmental needs only.

“The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leadership met me on Sunday. They did not talk of a separate state, rather all their demands pertained to developmental issues. You all are agitating for development, for employment and for civic amenities,” said Banerjee at\dressing a public rally on the second day of her two-day trip.

“After the Commonwealth games I will meet the PM and recommend that he should visit Darjeeling with a special package,” said the Railway minister.

The package she outlined featured a tax holiday to attract industry, 10,000 new jobs, a central university, new schools and educational institutes, infrastructure development including drinking water, roads, setting up IT industry and those relating to the power sector. :nuts:

She admitted that Darjeeling and its people have been given a raw deal, but ruled out any possibility of creating a new state.

“Darjeeling is a part of Bengal. We have to stay together and work together for the benefit of the state and country at large...,” said Banerjee.

Welcoming the package for the hills, GJM spokesperson Harka Bahadur Chettri said, “We are grateful that a leader from Bengal has finally seen for herself the true condition of the hills.”

But Chettri tried to downplay her stand on Gorkhaland. “She is the Railways minister and it is not within her purview. She is wise and steered clear of it.”

Foundry Park in Howrah to start by August 2011 (http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/foundry-park-in-howrah-to-start-by-august-2011/409633/)

BS Reporter / Kolkata September 30, 2010, 0:06 IST


The first phase of the foundry park being developed off Kona Expressway at Ranihati, by the Foundry Cluster Development Association (FCDA) will be completed by August 2011, when a total of 67 foundries start operations.

The park, conceptualized in 2003 was initially expected to bring to West Bengal, investments of Rs 2,000 crore, leading to the employment creation for over 30,000. Developments of the park, however has been marred problems of land acquisition.

“Land acquisition is a problem that plagues the industry in the state as a whole-large and small projects included. Despite the delay one cannot belie the importance of such a project, given its impetus to the manufacturing sector, necessary for the growth of the state”, said West Bengal minister for Commerce and Industry, Nirupam Sen. There are bottlenecks, beside the issue of land acquisition that tend to plague the Park.

The FCDA has made a demand that the stamp duty on the park should be made exempt on purchase of land; a formal; clearance of 14Y s pending. “Added to these problems there is a larger issue of the need to widen the stretch of road from National Highway (NH) 6 to the park, in light of the anticipated increase in traffic flow once the park is operational,” said Pawan Sureka, chairman, Indian Foundry Association.

Interestingly, the Foundry Park is supposed to be developed over 926 acres. Of these, about 552 acres have been acquired till date-most of which has been bought by the FCDA through direct purchases.

http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/563/npower.jpg (http://img844.imageshack.us/i/npower.jpg/)

Source: The Statesman

Leading food processing firm eyes Bengal

TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Kolkata: Heres is a piece of news that people of the state will savour.Indofood,the food processing arm of the Indonesia-based Salim Group,is keen to invest in Bengal.
Indofood Consumer Branded Products (ICBP) is one of the leading food processing companies in southeast Asia and a leader in branded noodles and pasta in Indonesia.If Indofood invests in Bengal,then it will be second highprofile investment in this sector in the state after Frito-Lay of Pepsi Foods.
Beni Santosa,a key person in the Salim Group,is the chairman of Indofood.The group is also one of the partners in the state PCPIR (petroleum,chemicals & petrochemicals investment region).
The company had in September come out with the largest initial public offering in Indonesia and one of the biggest in southeast Asia in the past two years.Sources close to the Salim Group said top-level officials of the company might visit the state later this year as it was planning to expand in south Asia now.
The sources also pointed out that officials of Indofood had visited Bengal in early 2007.They were looking for an investment opportunity here following the signing of the PCPIR.The team visited a proposed food park facility in Howrah and was keen to set up a unit.However,the state government could not give them land, said a source.
A former industries department official,who had i n t e r a c t e d with the Indofood officials then,said the company was interested in investing in Bengal.
W B I D C MD Subrata Gupta could not be contacted for comment.Indofood produces 15.7 billion packets of instant noodles a year and exports noodles,babyfood,seasonings,pasta and flour to countries such as Australia,Hong Kong,the Netherlands,New Zealand and the US.
Shares of Indofood soared on its debut last week in the Indonesian stock market after last months massively oversubscribed initial public offering of the company.The IPO sold 1.17 billion shares for $695 million and was overbooked seven times.

deleted

Jindals to reveal Salboni road map

The board of JSW Steel is set to meet at the end of this month to finalise the details of the much delayed first phase of its Salboni project in Bengal.

Seshagiri Rao, joint managing director of JSW Steel and JSW group CFO, said the board would spell out the financing plan.

“Our project in Bengal will start from April 2011. But you will get a clear picture about the first phase – details of the project, financing and execution timeline – after the board meets at the end of the month,” Rao told The Telegraph over the phone.

JSW Steel holds a 94 per cent stake in JSW Bengal Steel, the company which is expected to set up the 10-million-tonne plant. India’s largest private steel maker will also own a 26 per cent stake in a 1,600MW power venture, with the rest being owned by group company JSW Energy.

The Jindals are expected to initially build a 3-million-tonne plant and a 200MW power unit, but Rao declined to be specific. “Wait for the clarity after the board meet.”

The company has shifted goalposts several times after signing an agreement with the Bengal government in January 2007. It received around 3,900 acres from the state government by the middle of 2007 and acquired another 500 acres.

Had the original schedule been followed, the plant should have started production from 2011. Now, the production is likely to start in the middle of 2014.

Jindal and the state government did maintain the timeline till the groundbreaking ceremony in November 2008.

But a Maoist bomb attack targeting chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on that day triggered a series of events that led to the Lalgarh insurgency and the deployment of central forces.

However, the chief minister told leading industrialists last week that the area had been “cleared” and the company was building a boundary wall.

Yesterday, local officials of JSW Bengal did another round of bhoomi puja at the site, the second in less than two years. Given that work on the ground will take at least six months to start, the puja looks more symbolic to comfort the government that had gone all out to support the project even as the promoters did not keep their promises.

Rao said the financial closure would be done before construction began in April.

There is a possibility of JSW Bengal Steel merging with JSW Steel. “We have to see whether to raise finances in the subsidiary or arrange it in the parent,” Rao said.

The company has distributed shares to those who gave land for JSW Bengal, which had planned to do an initial public offer when the first phase neared completion. If JSW Bengal gets merged, the land losers will get JSW Steel shares. The Telegraph

Bengal Peerless Housing Development Ltd to set up multi-facility complex in Siliguri, West Bengal

The Bengal Peerless Housing Development Limited will set up a multi-facility complex housing a hotel, healthcare facilities and offices at Dagapur near Siliguri in West Bengal. Asok Bhattacharya, Bengal Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister said that Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA) had allotted three acres along NH55 to Bengal Peerless for the project.

Bhattacharya said, “The housing estate will come up near Savin Kingdom (the entertainment park) at Dagapur. Around Rs 50 crore will be spent to build a hotel and restaurants and to set up healthcare facilities and offices on the estate. Construction of the buildings is in progress and we expect Peerless to finish the work in the next few months.”

According to sources at the SJDA and Bengal Peerless, the multi-functional complex will be christened Axis Siliguri. Axis Siliguri will comprise three blocks. The first block will be a G Plus-Four building, with each floor measuring about 51,000sqft. The top floor will have 27,500 square feet space reserved for a club with facilities like bar, restaurant, swimming pool and gym. The other floors are meant for IT and ITeS (IT enabled Services) companies and other offices.

The second block will have seven floors with a total area of 59,000 square feet. It will have a medical unit on the ground floor, while other floors are reserved for offices and IT and IteS. The other block will house a three-star hotel of the Peerless Hotels, a company of the Peerless group.

http://img828.imageshack.us/img828/7358/aiims.jpg (http://img828.imageshack.us/i/aiims.jpg/)

Source: The Statesman

^^:cheers:
hope something materialises

IIT-Kharagpur medical college in two years

The Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, is upbeat about the medical school they believe will come up in the next two years. According to senior officials of IIT-Kgp, the Centre is likely to introduce a bill in the Parliament in the next session to change IIT Act so that the institute can run a medical college.
“We have decided to name the medical college Bidhan Chandra Institute of Medical Sciences in the honour of the first chief minister of the state,” Damodar Acharya, the director of IIT-Kgp said.

Acharya said the institute which will come up in 2012 will have an investment of Rs 500 crore. Recently the institute, with support from the Indian Railways, tied up with the 250-bed Railway hospital at Kharagpur. “We plan to use the Railway hospital as a teaching hospital. For medical research, we need to connect with a hospital that has a steady number of patients. This hospital gets about 1 lakh patients every year and will help us in research,” he said.

The institute officials said they are also open to join hands with premier healthcare institutions in the country and abroad. “Our focus will be post-graduate medical education and research,” said A K Majumdar, the deputy director of IIT-Kgp.

According to officials of the institute, the oldest IIT in the country has a history of diversifying into other domains. The institute first set up a B-School, then a law school and now is venturing into medical education.

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/iitkharagpur-medical-college-in-two-years/699918/

Tata Metaliks plans more units

Tata Metaliks, India’s largest pig iron manufacturer, has decided to set up a sinter plant, a coke oven unit and a waste gas recovery power plant at Kharagpur to lower the cost of raw materials such as iron ore and coking coal.

The company, a subsidiary of Tata Steel, also plans to set up another coke oven plant and a power plant at its unit in Reddi, Maharashtra.

The sinter plant will come up at an estimated investment of Rs 75 crore by the last quarter of 2011-12.

The coke oven plants together will cost around Rs 80 crore but Tata Metaliks won’t put in the money.

Harsh K. Jha, managing director of the company, said the coke plants would be farmed out on build-own-operate (BOO) basis.

“We will provide land while investors will put up the plant and operate it. Tata Metaliks will provide coking coal and buy metallurgical coke. They (investors) will act as a converter for us,” Jha said.

Tata Metaliks owns a coke oven plant in Reddi but it’s operated by a third party. This time, the company has decided not to invest in building a plant.

“We have seen this arrangement works fine. The company plans to save the money for some other purpose,” Jha said.

He said an order had been issued and a layout made for the Reddi coke plant, while the plan for Kharagpur will be prepared shortly. Both plants will have 1.2-lakh-tonnes of capacity each.

Sources in the company said Tata Metaliks also planned to set up two 10 mega watt power plants in both Kharagpur and Reddi using the waste gas from coke oven units.

They will cost around Rs 80-100 crore and will be funded by Tata Metaliks.
The units will not only meet internal requirement of power for the company but will also help reduce carbon footprint.All the initiatives are designed to keep raw material costs in control. The Telegraph

Greenfield steel projects in Bengal to require 23,950 acres

The greenfield steel projects that add up to about Rs 1,09,550 crore of investment in West Bengal will require 23,950 acres.

Though the land requirement is worrisome, quite a few projects have already got possession.

For instance, the largest investment proposal from JSW Steel at Rs 38,000 crore to set up a 10 million tonne steel plant, is sitting on about 4,500 acres.

Around 505 acres have been handed over to Adhunik Corporation for a 1.1 million tonne plant and 1,138 acres to Jai Balaji Industries.

While hearing for Shyam Steel Industries’ for part of the land is complete, according to the West Bengal government’s commerce and industry department’s annual report.

Shyam Steel requires about 1,178 acres and hearing on 705.29 acres is complete.

The process of acquisition for Adhunik Corporation’s balance land in the Raghunathpur Industrial Park I is underway. Adhunik needs 2,400 acres for its project.

The greenfield projects would create a steel capacity of 28 million tonne, along with substantial capacity in power and cement.

Among other major projects are: three million tonne steel plant from Videocon Industries, six million tonne of Bhushan Steel and two million tonne of the Abhijit group.

Greenfield projects apart, a major brownfield expansion programme is going on. Steel Authority of India Ltd’s (SAIL’s) Durgapur Steel Plant, IISCO Steel Plant and Alloy Steel Plant have drawn up capacity expansion plans involving an investment of around Rs 20,000 crore.

SAIL has received an in-principle approval for a Rs 2,875 crore investment in DSP, which will take its capacity to 2.2 million tonnes. IISCO Steel Plant is setting up steelmaking facilities for 2.5 million tonne capacity at a cost of Rs 16,073 crore while the capital schemes of ASP would cost around Rs 550 crore.

source (http://sify.com/finance/greenfield-steel-projects-in-bengal-to-require-23-950-acres-news-equity-kkzauqhhhij.html)

how is the power situation guys?? these projects will need a lot of power...

KOLKATA: A report published by the Central Statistical Organisation, a wing of the ministry of statistics, shows that West Bengal ranks 11th in the country when it comes to industrial growth. Leave alone the top performers like Maharashtra and Gujarat, states like even Chhatisgarh and Jharkhand have performed better.

The CSO report, called the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI), has just been published and gives a comprehensive view of the state of industrial growth in every state and Union territory of the country. At the very outset, it quashes the claim of the state industries department on the number of factories in operation in the state. While the statistical abstract published by the department says that a total of 14,389 factories are operational in the state at the moment, the ASI cuts this short by more than half. According to ASI data, only 5,799 factories function in the state.

The ranking of West Bengal in the 11th position has been done on the basis of the most important parameter for industrial growth or Gross Value Added which in layman's term means the contribution of the state's industries to its GDP. Thus, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu have been adjudged the top three.

While the GVA per worker in Maharashtra is Rs 9.05 lakh, in Gujarat in Rs 7.20 lakh; that of West Bengal is only Rs 3.26 lakh.

Take another parameter: output per worker. While in Maharashtra, the output per worker is Rs 38.38 lakh, that of Gujarat is Rs 42.87 lakh, while Bengal lags at Rs 21.22 lakh.

Surprisingly, however, when it comes to wages, the state hasn't done too badly. While Maharashtra spends Rs 1.80 lakh per worker in wages and Gujarat spends Rs 1.22 lakh, Bengal pays Rs 1.25 lakh per worker in wages.

When it comes to capital formation from industries, Bengal cuts an extremely sorry figure. This is probably due to the fact that sizeable investment has not happened in the state over a long period of time. So, while in Maharashtra, capital formation from industries has been quantified at Rs 27,32,440 lakh, in Gujarat it is Rs 23,28,118 lakh; in Bengal, it is only Rs 6,32,458 lakh.

The ASI report rates North 24-Parganas as the district with the highest contribution to the state GDP. This is followed by Kolkata, Burdwan, South 24-Parganas and Midnapore (East). The least contributing districts are Purulia and Darjeeling. Among the industries that contribute most to the state's GDP are food processing and dairy industry.

Asked to sum up the appaling state of industrial growth in Bengal, director of CSO in Kolkata, Bivas Chowdhury, said: "My department draws up the report painstakingly. I can only stand by the figures that have been published in the report. It is not for me to draw inferences."

Top economists upheld the ASI report and said that it did not surprise them. "In a state where the state budget is not uploaded fully on the internet and where it ends with just the finance minister's speech, what else do you expect? After much deliberation when I do get hold of a copy of the budget, I find that in three places, three different figures have been quoted. Is this a joke?" lashed out economist Dipankar Dasgupta.

He supplemented this with some figures provided by the Reserve Bank of India. "In 1980-'81, the industrial share of West Bengal in the national average was was 8.1%. This has fallen to 3.4% now. The industrial growth of the state has fallen from 3.9% in 2000 to 1.7% now," Dasgupta added.

The report doesn't surprise economist Avirup Sarkar either. "If you consider the total number of man days lost in the country, 80% of it accounts from Bengal. There has been a massive decline in the formal industrial sector. The states that have overtaken us have been able to do so because of massive industrial growth," Sarkar reasoned.
:bash:

^^ Commies!! What can you say?

the commies have a new name and face - TMC

The Telegraph

http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/8241/27102010012023.jpg

Kolkata: Singur’s dreams need not die with Nano driving off to Sanand.
Even as Tata Motors keeps the guessing game going over a possible comeback, as many as 10 ancillaries that made a beeline to the former Nano site along with the automaker have decided to stay put and set up alternative projects there.
Two big ancillaries, of which one is the UK-based Caparo Group owned by Swraj Paul, have already submitted alternative project plans to the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC). The two together have about 130 acres in their possession. “Some big vendors like Caparo Engineering, Supreme Treves, Lumax are interested in setting up projects in Singur because of the locational advantage of the land,” sources close to the vendors said. It is learnt that the combined investment of these projects could be more than 1,000 crore.
Caparo Engineering, which has 21 acres, was supposed to set up a sheet metal unit for Nano. Lumax is a leader in head and tail lamps. Supreme Treves has expertise in plastic auto parts. A majority of the 54 ancillaries that accompanied Tata Motors are reportedly putting pressure on the automaker to come clean on Singur so that they can go ahead with individual projects. At least 10 have initiated talks with the WBIDC and only two have so far asked for refund against surrender of their land allotment.
Mamata doesn’t reveal
stance on UPA land bill
Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday kept up suspense over the Centre’s attempt to break the deadlock over the land acquisition bill. “I am against forcible land acquisition,” she said. P 9 Second Innings?
10 ancillaries that accompanied Tata Motors to Singur have decided to stay put and set up alternative projects The ancillaries are now putting pressure on Tata Motors to come clean on Singur so that they can go ahead with their individual projects Companies include Caparo Engg, Supreme Treves & Lumax. They prefer Singur because of its location Govt undecided on Nano land
Kolkata: WBIDC MD Subrata Gupta reserved his comment on ancillaries seeking to set up shop in Singur with an eye on the litigation pending in the Supreme Court over the legality of land acquisition for a private industry using the public purpose tag.
“We have not yet taken any decision on the Singur land. Now that Tata Motors has given the letter, we shall evaluate what to do,” a Lumax official added. An official of Rasandik Engineering that manufactures fuel tank of automobiles echoed the same view.
“Earlier, Tata Motors had indicated that it wants to hold on to the land. But over the last few months the indication is that it might release the plot if it gets adequate compensation from the state government. So we are also working on our future plan. There are, however, differences in opinion among the vendors about the future course of action,” one of the vendors said.

This is great news but the amount of uncertainty and litigation the land is embroiled in,nothing will come up.Also mamata will ensure nothing comes up.

RPG group co plans to invest 1250 cr on capacity addition

RPG Group firm Phillips Carbon Black is planning to invest 1,250 crore in next three years for capacity addition in India and Vietnam in order to be among top 6 global players in carbon black.
The company is also planning to diversify into related fields like carbon chemicals. PCBL chairman Sanjiv Goenka told reporters that it would soon finalise the location for the proposed greenfield unit in South India. “We are looking at port locations in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The proposed greenfield plant would be the biggest carbon black facility in the country,” he said. However, Goenka did not divulge the details of the greenfield facility by saying that the plan will be firmed up in next few weeks. “We need around 40 acres for the project. PCBL is looking at both the options like setting up two plants in different locations or one unified capacity in single location,” he added.
Incidentally, PCBL has carbon black capacity of 3.60 lakh tonne in four locations — Durgapur, Mundra (Gujarat), Palej (Gujarat) and Cochin (Kerala). The capacity would become 4.60 lakh tonne in next two years following the completion of 50,000 tonne capacity addition at Mundra and 50,000 tonne facility in Vietnam. “In next 3-4 months financial closure will be done for the first phase of the Vietnam project,” he said. PCBL is planning to invest 450 crore in two phases in Vietnam.
Commenting on carbon chemical foray, Goenka added that the company is looking at a location in West Bengal for the project. “We are yet to decide on the product mix. It would take some time,” he added.
Meanwhile, PCBL has witnessed a drop in net profit to 24.27 crore in quarter ended September 30, 2010 from 32.32 crore in the corresponding quarter of the last fiscal.
However, PCBL turnover during the quarter has gone up from 297 crore in Q2 of 2009-10 to 460 crore in Q2 of this fiscal. TNN

Rlys, NTPC sign MoU for power project

On a day the railway minister laid bare her electoral dreams in Bankura, she also headed for Purulia where an MoU was signed between the railway ministry and the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) for a 1,320 MW super- critical power project at Adra on Sunday.
The railways is in the process of reclaiming land it had temporarily leased out to the state forest department for 1. While NTPC will make the investment, equity sharing between the power major and railways will be in the ratio of 74:26. The project is expected to be completed by June 2015 at a cost of around 8,000 crore. Mamata Banerjee, however, urged officials to try and complete the project in three years.
“The environmental impact analysis for the power plant is being carried out and should be ready within a week. We shall start seeking necessary clearances after that. This project will use super-critical technology and the railways will be saving 1 per unit consumed,” said Sudesh Kumar, member (electrical), Railway Board.
Banerjee called the MoU a great event for the state and the country. She spoke of her plans to develop Bankura and Purulia as tourism hubs.
“This joint venture project will be a pride of the nation. It is good that a public sector unit like NTPC has joined hands with the railways. I have also come to know that the Steel Authority of India Ltd has shown interest in participating in the refrigerated wagon manufacturing unit planned at Budge Budge,” Banerjee said. TNN

Siliguri set to get IT incubation centre this month (http://sify.com/finance/siliguri-set-to-get-it-incubation-centre-this-month-news-technology-klbaEvebgag.html)

Swati Garg | 2010-11-01 00:40:00


With some information technology projects in West Bengal being cancelled or delayed a small development in Siliguri, a tier-III city, will be a cause for celebration as the IT incubation centre is set to be inaugurated next month.

The West Bengal Electronics Industry Development Corporation Ltd (Webel)-promoted IT incubation centre, which could be the precursor to a bigger IT park, might be a victory for the IT department, though small.

"The IT Park, envisaged as a part of the overall policy of developing technology parks in the smaller cities of the state, will take the shape of an incubation centre. The centre will, in all likelihood, be inaugurated next month," said Shyamal Dasgupta, executive director, corporate development and HR.

Interestingly, despite the incubation centre which is to come up at Matigara near Siliguri, questions have been raised about the potential of the city as a front-runner IT destination. The incubation centre spread across 6 floors, with a built up IT space of about 25,000 sq.ft. This is the first manifestation of the promise made by the West Bengal IT department, which promised the development of IT in the tier-II and III cities across the state.

At present, Webel is in touch with many companies for setting up IT operations within the facility, said Dasgupta, the chief among them being Acclaris. Kalyan Kar, managing Director, Acclaris, confirmed the development. "We are in talks with Webel for acquiring place in the incubation centre at Siliguri, but that is in the preliminary stage. The new centre will be an extension of the existing centre Acclaris has at the Software Technology Park," Kar said.

Kar attributed Acclaris’ interest in Siliguri to factors of cost efficiency and available talent pool. He was, however, wary of the lack of the overall eco-system required for the development of IT. The centre would thus be a delivery centre and not an IT zone for Acclaris, he said.

"While the region is characterised by a ready talent pool and cost benefits, there is a problem with availability of infrastructure such as food. This is a problem given the largely manpower-centric nature of the IT industry," Kar said. IT sector in Bengal has experienced failed projects such as the Kalyani special economic zone (SEZ) and appers to be off the IT majors’ radar since Infosys’ announcement that the company would not entern Bengal in the next 6 years, might have reason to celebrate but in the current scenario, the victory rings hollow.

Siliguri set to get IT incubation centre this month (http://sify.com/finance/siliguri-set-to-get-it-incubation-centre-this-month-news-technology-klbaEvebgag.html)

Swati Garg | 2010-11-01 00:40:00

"there is a problem with availability of infrastructure such as food" - Kalyan Kar, managing Director, Acclaris

So he is saying no food is available in WB?


" Bengal has experienced failed projects such as the Kalyani special economic zone (SEZ) and appers to be off the IT majors radar since Infosys announcement that the company would not entern Bengal in the next 6 years, might have reason to celebrate but in the current scenario, the victory rings hollow."

What is this with negativity in writing even a simple article. Will not the editor publish it otherwise?

Didn't Wipro and a couple of other biggies come forward just as Infosys has kept the carrot dangling in hopes of making a better real estate deal?

So he is saying no food is available in WB?




What is this with negativity in writing even a simple article. Will not the editor publish it otherwise?

Didn't Wipro and a couple of other biggies come forward just as Infosys has kept the carrot dangling in hopes of making a better real estate deal?

^^ Even if any good happens they (reporters) have to bring something negative against the "communist" state. :lol:

Texmaco, Bombardier may join hands

K K Birla group engineering firm Texmaco is likely to form a consortium with Canadian railway giant Bombardier in order to bid for the proposed railway engine component project at Dankuni in West Bengal. Sources in the railways ministry said that Texmaco has already spoken to them for a possible tie-up with Bombardier for the project.
According to sources, besides Texmaco-Bombardier consortium, a host of global engineering giants like GE, Siemens, Alstom are likely to submit financial bid for the project. Desi engineering giant BHEL too is in the race for Dankuni project. “We are planning to set up an ancillary unit for Chittaranjan Locomotive Work at Dankuni. We have no problem if Texmaco joins hand with Bombardier,” a railway official said. However, Texmaco officials could not be reached for comment.
It may be noted that Texmaco has already formed a consortium with Kawasaki of Japan for the proposed metro and rail coach factory in Kanchrapara. According to railways officials, the investment in Dankuni project would be to the tune of 200-250 crore.
“The magnitude of Dankuni project would be much less than Kanchrapara,” officials added. It may be noted that Texmaco has already formed a joint venture with United Group of Australia for manufacturing state-of-the-art wagons. The JV will invest 100 crore and would undertake production of locomotive components and commodity specific hitech freight cars. TNN

What is this with negativity in writing even a simple article. Will not the editor publish it otherwise?



Didn't Wipro and a couple of other biggies come forward just as Infosys has kept the carrot dangling in hopes of making a better real estate deal?

Times of India always has this biased form of reporting. They have to oppose a Left ruled state. Its more driven by ideology, than facts.

However the tragedy is facts are also not very rosy.
In 2010 , just after recession, when the US biggies are all outsourcing more to reduce cost and almost every week new companies setting up base / expanding their operations in the southern cities, in the last few months we saw not much developments in the IT scenario in WB.

Yes we had the news of Accenture, Rolta, HSBC, HCL etc but all these things were planned way back in 2007-2008 but had got delayed due to recession.

I am not even talking about R & D companies like Cisco, VMware, LSI Logic, EMC , Microsoft, Amazon etc but at least service providers and bulk recruiters like EDS, IGATE, Mindtree etc who are always looking for cost optimization could have been roped in.

We really need large amount of jobs to be created in West Bengal.

Neither I heard about any new investment decision by any companies in the biotech domain.

Debesh Das talks more, does really less. :-(

Times of India always has this biased form of reporting. They have to oppose a Left ruled state. Its more driven by ideology, than facts.



What do you think are the chances that a huge section of the national (and local) media has carried out a negative campaign against West Bengal because they are opposed to the left (it's like cutting off your head because you have a headache). And the negativity has ended up in a cycle where people are afraid to invest in the state because of the negativity part of which is fact and part is fiction?

West Bengal is like the student in class who has been condemned by all these bully teachers (media) to be murkh shiromani.

However the tragedy is facts are also not very rosy.
In 2010 , just after recession, when the US biggies are all outsourcing more to reduce cost and almost every week new companies setting up base / expanding their operations in the southern cities, in the last few months we saw not much developments in the IT scenario in WB.

Yes we had the news of Accenture, Rolta, HSBC, HCL etc but all these things were planned way back in 2007-2008 but had got delayed due to recession.

I am not even talking about R & D companies like Cisco, VMware, LSI Logic, EMC , Microsoft, Amazon etc but at least service providers and bulk recruiters like EDS, IGATE, Mindtree etc who are always looking for cost optimization could have been roped in.

We really need large amount of jobs to be created in West Bengal.

Neither I heard about any new investment decision by any companies in the biotech domain.

I guess West Bengal's bad luck.

Debesh Das talks more, does really less. :-(

Dr Das is like me I guess.

:lol:

Times of India always has this biased form of reporting. They have to oppose a Left ruled state. Its more driven by ideology, than facts.

However the tragedy is facts are also not very rosy.
In 2010 , just after recession, when the US biggies are all outsourcing more to reduce cost and almost every week new companies setting up base / expanding their operations in the southern cities, in the last few months we saw not much developments in the IT scenario in WB.

Yes we had the news of Accenture, Rolta, HSBC, HCL etc but all these things were planned way back in 2007-2008 but had got delayed due to recession.

I am not even talking about R & D companies like Cisco, VMware, LSI Logic, EMC , Microsoft, Amazon etc but at least service providers and bulk recruiters like EDS, IGATE, Mindtree etc who are always looking for cost optimization could have been roped in.

We really need large amount of jobs to be created in West Bengal.

Neither I heard about any new investment decision by any companies in the biotech domain.

Debesh Das talks more, does really less. :-(

^^you are spot on! Since 2007 no major company has invested in Bengal. Even prior to and after Singur Govt should have continuously tried to attract companies that do not need large parcels of land..namely the mid tier companies such as Mindtree and Igate that you have mentioned. There is quality commercial space in the offing but unless we have bulk recruitment there is little sense.DLF IT park 2 phase 1 is complete but the massive structure is lying vacant !


What Debesh Das and his ministry should have done is to prepare a list of bengalees (or people with roots in Bengal/Kolkata) in senior positions ( and I am sure there are several !) in IT companies in Blr/Hyd/Chn/NCR etc and started discussions with them on opening up base in the city.

What Debesh Das and his ministry should have done is to prepare a list of bengalees (or people with roots in Bengal/Kolkata) in senior positions ( and I am sure there are several !) in IT companies in Blr/Hyd/Chn/NCR etc and started discussions with them on opening up base in the city.

should have done...should have done...aakhir asli kaam hoga kab?

infact narayan murthy recently visited the city for inaugurating cyber police services in the city....does anyone know if he made any comment about infy's return to west bengal? does he even know about the vast vaccant IT spaces there?

the truth is most of the south indians are least acknowledged about the potentials of west bengal. for this, webel should have conducted road shows all over the main IT hubs of the country...particularly in the south...as well as abroad. or a global investors meet, like the one in bangalore in july this year, should have been a better alternative

but then again...its just another 'should have...':cripes:

as far as I know, WB has not been able to present itself well even in the bangalore IT biz recently...sigh...

moreover, people down south too are not fond of kolkata & WB....my bengali friends living in chennai, b'lore etc. must be aware about this...double sigh...

Source (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2010/11/04/stories/2010110452660200.htm)

CESC eyes Rs 1,000 cr from pvt equity players Money to part-fund subsidiary's power plants.


Mr Sanjeev Goenka
Our Bureau

Kolkata, Nov. 3

CESC Ltd, according to its Vice-Chairman, Mr Sanjeev Goenka, is looking to raise around Rs 1,000 crore from private equity players for three power plants proposed to be set up by its subsidiary.

The money will be used for part funding of the plants in Haldia (West Bengal), Chandrapur (Maharashtra) and Talcher (Orissa). These projects will be set up by Haldia Energy Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of CESC.

Financial closure

The capacity of Haldia and Chandrapur plants will be 600 MW each while that of Talcher plant 1,300 MW. The total cost for these projects is estimated at Rs 12,800 crore.

Coal linkage and financial closure for the Orissa project are expected by mid-February 2011.

“Financial closure for the Chandrapur and Haldia projects has already been achieved,” Mr Goenka said here on Wednesday. IDBI and ICICI Bank were the merchant bankers for the Haldia project financial closure, which was achieved last month.

Plant costs

“Of the total cost, Rs 3,000 crore is to be funded by equity,” Mr Goenka said. Around Rs 9,800 crore will be taken care of by debt.

The Rs 3,200-crore Haldia plant is expected to be commissioned by 2014. Of its 600 MW generation, 400 MW will be for Kolkata licence area.

Chandrapur will also cost Rs 3,200 crore. Talcher will be a Rs 6,400-crore project.

Mr Goenka added that for the proposed Balagarh, Jharkhand and Bihar projects, the company was awaiting clearances. He hinted that these projects might be under a subsidiary of Haldia Energy.

Q2 RESULT

CESC has reported a net profit of Rs 155 crore in the second quarter to September 30, up 23 per cent, from Rs 125 crore in the corresponding period last fiscal. Its net sales increased to Rs 1,105 crore (Rs 964 crore). The quarter saw seven per cent demand growth and 15 per cent increase in generation. The Q2 was marked by a new and higher tariff order and a 12 per cent cut in imports. Fuel, however, added significantly to cost pressure.

should have done...should have done...aakhir asli kaam hoga kab?

infact narayan murthy recently visited the city for inaugurating cyber police services in the city....does anyone know if he made any comment about infy's return to west bengal? does he even know about the vast vaccant IT spaces there?

the truth is most of the south indians are least acknowledged about the potentials of west bengal. for this, webel should have conducted road shows all over the main IT hubs of the country...particularly in the south...as well as abroad. or a global investors meet, like the one in bangalore in july this year, should have been a better alternative

but then again...its just another 'should have...':cripes:

as far as I know, WB has not been able to present itself well even in the bangalore IT biz recently...sigh...

moreover, people down south too are not fond of kolkata & WB....my bengali friends living in chennai, b'lore etc. must be aware about this...double sigh...



Absolutely. And you know what. !!! The greatest success of Buddha as well as Debesh is that somehow they have been able to create a notion that they are trying to do industrialization in West Bengal when they are actually doing nothing.

Beside that, I think for the next 2 decades they will keep on repeating the same old story of Singur and how Mamata had foiled their great vision.

For Nayachar, the state govt could not even do the detailed project report on time.
How many biotech or LPO companies have set up base in West Bengal?
For NH-34, they are yet to complete land aquisition from Kolkata to Baharampore.
However nowadays they have an excuse, tell them anything and they will tell Mamata is not allowing.

For first 15 years, Jyoti and his ministers used to weep about step-motherly attitude of Centre. Now after economic liberalization of 2 decades, what did they do except forcing an army of educated bengalis to move out of their home state in search of jobs?

Deleted

The Telegraph

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/3015/06112010010039.jpg

The greatest success of Buddha as well as Debesh is that somehow they have been able to create a notion that they are trying to do industrialization in West Bengal when they are actually doing nothing.



If you have data about actual investments in the state since 2000 when Buddhadeb became CM, it would be easier to decide whether anything positive happened during his 10 year tenure.


Now after economic liberalization of 2 decades, what did they do except forcing an army of educated bengalis to move out of their home state in search of jobs?

After all thousands and thousands and thousands of Indians are leaving all the so called "advanced" states of India (and that too often by hook or crook) and they feel very proud of it too.

Bengal is just following the same trend. Except that in case of Bengal some critics feel that is a shameful thing.

If you have data about actual investments in the state since 2000 when Buddhadeb became CM, it would be easier to decide whether anything positive happened during his 10 year tenure.

See I am not a person from any statistical department of the state pr central government that I will have the data. I made the comment and tried to do a positive criticism .

In Buddha's time there have been a lot of investment proposals, I agree. But how many of them have materialised till now?

Take for example the greenfield steel projects. Except for JSW Steel project in Salboni, what I remember even the land acquisition for the other projects are yet to be done. The other proposed projects are by Jai Balaji, Adhunik , Videocon and Shyam Steel.

Tell them anything and they will tell Mamata is not allowing.

Lets take about SW itself.
How many R&D centres are there in Kolkata till now?
Over 100+ R&D centres are there in Bangalore alone. I am not even talking about Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune.

okk....forget R & D, as I mentioned in my earlier post, even the big service providers like HP-Mphasis ( previously EDS), Mindtree, Igate, Patni , Zensar, I Flex etc are not there in Kolkata. Zensar finally decided to go for BBSR when I heard the story.

Ok....lets even dont talk about SW, lets talk about BPO / KPO sector. How many captive KPO s of the US MNCs are there in Kolkata? 1 of my friends is there in Deustche Bank KPO in Bombay. He told me they have decided to expand in Jaipur but Kolkata is not in their radar inspite of the fact that a whole bunch of senior management in their organization are Bengalis. The state govt simply did not approach them. Same for the 3rd party KPOs like EClerx etc.


Is the scenario for Biotech, LPO, Analytics, Management consulting companies different? Everybody will agree its not . A large amount of LPOs have set up operations in Gurgaon-Noida belt in the last few years but not in Kolkata.

A few years back, Debesh used to tell stories of IBM setting up a fab lab in the city and incubation centre for the semiconductor industry.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpo...&postcount=626
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpo...&postcount=636

I tried to google but perhaps I lack the skills.
I went ahead and searched for the Infinity Intech Parks Ltd. Landed up here.
http://www.infinityitpark.com/indiadesigncentre.html#
Could not find the presence of any companies.




After all thousands and thousands and thousands of Indians are leaving all the so called "advanced" states of India (and that too often by hook or crook) and they feel very proud of it too.

Bengal is just following the same trend. Except that in case of Bengal some critics feel that is a shameful thing.

Yes people from these "advanced" states leave for first world countries to realize the great american dream,

But I do not think it will be wise to think that people from "advanced" states are leaving in large numbers for first world countries because there are less opportunities in their home state and Bengalis leaving for the "advanced" states in large numbers in spite of huge opportunities in Kolkata.

See I was born and brought up In kolkata and I love my city and state. I yearn to go back there as soon as possible. I am not one of those types who will keep on telling the virtues of staying out of Bengal.

So I did a positive criticism.

My point is that Budhha / Devesh gang is doing very little and generating lot of noise and people have also developed a notion that yes they are trying to do something.


There is also another angle. WB is a left front ruled state. So media will always have stories - that Bengalis were unemployable (lack of knowledge of English, lazy, laid back, uncompetitive and union happy).

Moreover, we can admit that capitalist development can never create enough jobs and there may be relatively more opportunities in some states compared to others.

But the question is how many new companies Buddha and Debesh have been able to bring to West Bengal?

Do most of us feel that they have done a tremendous job to boost employment opportunities in the state?

CSO report suggests that we are ranked 11th in the country in terms of industrial growth.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=65963255&postcount=1865

If you have data about actual investments in the state since 2000 when Buddhadeb became CM, it would be easier to decide whether anything positive happened during his 10 year tenure.




After all thousands and thousands and thousands of Indians are leaving all the so called "advanced" states of India (and that too often by hook or crook) and they feel very proud of it too.

Bengal is just following the same trend. Except that in case of Bengal some critics feel that is a shameful thing.

I totally agree with you!

See I am not a person from any statistical department of the state pr central government that I will have the data. I made the comment and tried to do a positive criticism .

In Buddha's time there have been a lot of investment proposals, I agree. But how many of them have materialised till now?

Take for example the greenfield steel projects. Except for JSW Steel project in Salboni, what I remember even the land acquisition for the other projects are yet to be done. The other proposed projects are by Jai Balaji, Adhunik , Videocon and Shyam Steel.

Tell them anything and they will tell Mamata is not allowing.

I only asked for data about actual industrial investments from 2001 to 2010 March. That would tell us how much actual investment took place in the state.

We all seem to know what industries did NOT come to West Bengal or are delayed or are having some problems. The information mostly comes from tabloids. However why do we not know what industries have been set up in the last ten years? Is it because no industries have come to the state? Or is it because the media doesn't report that too often?

Lets take about SW itself.
How many R&D centres are there in Kolkata till now?
Over 100+ R&D centres are there in Bangalore alone. I am not even talking about Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune.

okk....forget R & D, as I mentioned in my earlier post, even the big service providers like HP-Mphasis ( previously EDS), Mindtree, Igate, Patni , Zensar, I Flex etc are not there in Kolkata. Zensar finally decided to go for BBSR when I heard the story.

Ok....lets even dont talk about SW, lets talk about BPO / KPO sector. How many captive KPO s of the US MNCs are there in Kolkata? 1 of my friends is there in Deustche Bank KPO in Bombay. He told me they have decided to expand in Jaipur but Kolkata is not in their radar inspite of the fact that a whole bunch of senior management in their organization are Bengalis. The state govt simply did not approach them. Same for the 3rd party KPOs like EClerx etc.

Is the scenario for Biotech, LPO, Analytics, Management consulting companies different? Everybody will agree its not . A large amount of LPOs have set up operations in Gurgaon-Noida belt in the last few years but not in Kolkata..

So what are all folks like you doing? Go tell your companies to set up their branches in West Bengal. Tell them how smart you are and how there are thousands of smart people like you in WB waiting to be employed and delivering a good job.


A few years back, Debesh used to tell stories of IBM setting up a fab lab in the city and incubation centre for the semiconductor industry.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpo...&postcount=626
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpo...&postcount=636

I tried to google but perhaps I lack the skills.
I went ahead and searched for the Infinity Intech Parks Ltd. Landed up here.
http://www.infinityitpark.com/indiadesigncentre.html#
Could not find the presence of any companies.

Dr Das may have failed in his job (or maybe he tried his best but didn't manage to convince investors) but why are folks who are from the state and feel so much pain for the state not jumping in and alleviating the pain?

The links don't seem to work for some reason.

But as far as I remember he had said that he had met with IBM officials and various other company officials but nothing had been finalized.

Here's sample I found:

IBM plans to set up a prototype fab in Kolkata

http://www.eetindia.co.in/ART_8800505559_1800007_NT_a1244fea.HTM

But if you read the content, it does say - "While IBM has met with officials from West Bengal, no plans have been finalised, said Debesh Das of West Bengal's Ministry of Information Technology."

So the minister says no plans have been finalized and the media says that there are plans.


Yes people from these "advanced" states leave for first world countries to realize the great american dream,

But I do not think it will be wise to think that people from "advanced" states are leaving in large numbers for first world countries because there are less opportunities in their home state and Bengalis leaving for the "advanced" states in large numbers in spite of huge opportunities in Kolkata.

Not just great American, but Australian (that seems that have soured up a bit), South African, Nigerian, Middle Eastern dreams. It's a shame they are leaving such opportunities behind. But thank God. The Bengalis of WB are there to fill up the vacancies. Otherwise just think what would have happened to the Bengalis?

See I was born and brought up In kolkata and I love my city and state. I yearn to go back there as soon as possible. I am not one of those types who will keep on telling the virtues of staying out of Bengal.

My point is that Budhha / Devesh gang is doing very little and generating lot of noise and people have also developed a notion that yes they are trying to do something.




Maybe many people will get an opportunity to return to the state when the Buddha Debesh "gang" will be replaced by Didi. She has said she wants people back and she will create a flood of jobs.



So I did a positive criticism.

Of course you did. Without criticism there can be no good discussion.


But the question is how many new companies Buddha and Debesh have been able to bring to West Bengal?

That's the original question I asked. See my response in the earlier half.

Do most of us feel that they have done a tremendous job to boost employment opportunities in the state?

I don't think so.

But I also see that today people are much more charged up about getting a job than sitting 2AX7 on the parar rock and doing adda. People are working in big departmental stores where many years ago, parents would have thrown a fit at their kids doing such jobs. There has been a quantitative change on that front. Training and educational opportunities have opened up tremendously. The younger generation in Bengal is smart and go getter type. I don't think it is Left Front thing. But more like how India is changing rapidly. Weepers may say that this is bad. I think it is good.


CSO report suggests that we are ranked 11th in the country in terms of industrial growth.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=65963255&postcount=1865

Ahh. This is a "new discovery" by TOI. These reports are coming out every year. The latest one doesn't seem to have been uploaded publicly yet. Anyway there are many ways to measure industrial growth. The first thing that raises concern is the discrepancy in numbers of factories.

Here's a link for the reports

http://mospi.nic.in/stat_act_t3.htm

The state's industrial sector contributes a paltry 18% of state GDP. And that's what the debate has been all about - that the state needs to move from agriculture alone and move to industrial development.

Originally Posted by Suncity

After all thousands and thousands and thousands of Indians are leaving all the so called "advanced" states of India (and that too often by hook or crook) and they feel very proud of it too.

Bengal is just following the same trend. Except that in case of Bengal some critics feel that is a shameful thing.


The difference here is that a lot of other states have thousands and thousands of people moving in from different states also.

The difference here is that a lot of other states have thousands and thousands of people moving in from different states also.

Except very few places like Bangalore, hyd, Mumbai, delhi regarding blue color jobs. And west bengal itself has cheap construction labors so it doesn't need that from other places..

I only asked for data about actual industrial investments from 2001 to 2010 March. That would tell us how much actual investment took place in the state.

We all seem to know what industries did NOT come to West Bengal or are delayed or are having some problems. The information mostly comes from tabloids. However why do we not know what industries have been set up in the last ten years? Is it because no industries have come to the state? Or is it because the media doesn't report that too often?

Ya perhaps because media does not report that too often.



So what are all folks like you doing? Go tell your companies to set up their branches in West Bengal. Tell them how smart you are and how there are thousands of smart people like you in WB waiting to be employed and delivering a good job.


People like me ( who are just software coolies and working at the lower end with just a few years of experience) does not have the say nor have the decision making ability that at what location his or her company will set up a branch.

Moreover companies does not make business decisions based on requests of some employees. It also tries to find out what benefits it can extract from the local govt.



Dr Das may have failed in his job (or maybe he tried his best but didn't manage to convince investors) but why are folks who are from the state and feel so much pain for the state not jumping in and alleviating the pain?


Then for what purpose Debesh or his stooges are getting maintained at the expense of public money. He has a department with a secretary and some govt officials.
I tried to search. Debesh does not have much credentials as researcher in terms of publications . Perhaps he was too busy with party activities at that time. But now since he has got a post in the govt, he should have been doing what he is supposed to do.






But I also see that today people are much more charged up about getting a job than sitting 2AX7 on the parar rock and doing adda. People are working in big departmental stores where many years ago, parents would have thrown a fit at their kids doing such jobs. There has been a quantitative change on that front. Training and educational opportunities have opened up tremendously. The younger generation in Bengal is smart and go getter type. I don't think it is Left Front thing. But more like how India is changing rapidly. Weepers may say that this is bad. I think it is good.


So what does this mean? We have many jobs in malls and departmental stores. So why on earth do we need R &D , BPO / KPO/ LPO , Biotech, Financial jobs?
Let the promoters close to party get more land at concessional rates and create more malls. Amazing execuse. I am awestruck.


The state's industrial sector contributes a paltry 18% of state GDP. And that's what the debate has been all about - that the state needs to move from agriculture alone and move to industrial development.

Hmmm....as far as I feel 33 years in power is not a small time. Even after 33 years of power we hear that state " needs to " move to industrial development and not it has moved already a lot on industrial development.

O...Sorry ...I forgot it may also be true that state has already moved a lot ....but we are not being able to know because of yellow journalism of TOI.

Then for what purpose Debesh or his stooges are getting maintained at the expense of public money. He has a department with a secretary and some govt officials.
I tried to search. Debesh does not have much credentials as researcher in terms of publications . Perhaps he was too busy with party activities at that time. But now since he has got a post in the govt, he should have been doing what he is supposed to do.



i had asked this question before but got no answer. does anyone know what happened to the cable landing station that was going to come up in Digha? i bet as soon as that comes up the infosys gang will line up at writers building, smiling and shaking hands with the administration.

i agree that sarbaharar dol cpim administration was too busy bringing out michhils against "US imperialism." also, at one point their complaint of "kendrer sarojantro" had become a joke. we used to say the weather is also "kendrer sarojantro." anyway, i think we forget that 40 years of "freight equalization" policy (brought about by the politicians from the south and the west lobby in parliament) ruined eastern india. can we ask for a subsidy because all the good ports are in the south and west?

there are two cable landing stations in chennai, one (or two?) in mumbai and several in the pipeline. and they still ask for more.

http://www.asia-europe.uni-heidelberg.de/fileadmin/Pictures/Research_Projects/Research_Project_B/B9_Information_Flows/B9_Submarine_Cable_Map_2007.jpg

i don't know if this is the reason but i think the politicians from bengal (and bihar, orissa, jharkhand) need to argue in english and hindi in the parliament a lot better than the politicians from the south and west, and ask the right questions. after all, how many businessmen become politicians in this part of the country? there are many shrewd businessmen from the south and west sitting in the lok sabha and rajya sabha. of course, that lowers our share of "big money" cporruption but the small corruption that's widespread is arguably even more damaging (e.g., just go to beltala and see for yourself; that's the department of our earlier tupi minister - subhasha).

i see that there are some diehard supporters of cpim on this forum and some supporters of TMC. let's not form a cpim camp and a TMC camp on this forum -- like everyone else tends to do in bengal. we should understand by now that this kind of lazy thinking is detrimental to all of us who are wellwishers of bengal. let's talk about the policies instead.

Ya perhaps because media does not report that too often.

There is nothing to report because nothing positive is happening.

People like me ( who are just software coolies and working at the lower end with just a few years of experience) does not have the say nor have the decision making ability that at what location his or her company will set up a branch.

Oh sorry. Based on your earlier posts, I assumed people were mostly doing R&D type jobs in the hitech cities of India.

Moreover companies does not make business decisions based on requests of some employees. It also tries to find out what benefits it can extract from the local govt.

Yeah. you never know. I think WB Govt is coming up with a new plan for some of the well portrayed idealistic business leaders to set up huge IT shops. They are promising 100 acres of free land and ten years of no salary to be paid to employees. Taxes will be zero, no electricity and water costs and the state will even make a donation of 150 crores. That should move even the Himalayas.

Then for what purpose Debesh or his stooges are getting maintained at the expense of public money. He has a department with a secretary and some govt officials.

So that people can criticize him and his stooges.

I tried to search. Debesh does not have much credentials as researcher in terms of publications . Perhaps he was too busy with party activities at that time. But now since he has got a post in the govt, he should have been doing what he is supposed to do.

Actually the politburo, pleased with his poltical activism forced JU to give him, BE, ME and PhD.


So what does this mean? We have many jobs in malls and departmental stores. So why on earth do we need R &D , BPO / KPO/ LPO , Biotech, Financial jobs?
Let the promoters close to party get more land at concessional rates and create more malls. Amazing execuse. I am awestruck.

It only means that attitudes are changing in Kolkata. Instead of waiting a lifetime for a government job, people are exploring various opportunities and avenues.



Hmmm....as far as I feel 33 years in power is not a small time. Even after 33 years of power we hear that state " needs to " move to industrial development and not it has moved already a lot on industrial development.

33 is a long time and it would have been better if there was a stronger opposition party earlier. So it is a good thing to finally see the TMC alliance moving towards dislodging the Left. They are promising a million jobs to the youth of Bengal. That promise is the nail in the left's coffin.

Industrial decline in West Bengal is not an unknown issue. The original isssue raised was that under Buddhadeb's 10 year rule, he only talked and didn't deliver. That's why I asked for data for the last 10 years of whether WB has had any investment or growth at all.


O...Sorry ...I forgot it may also be true that state has already moved a lot ....but we are not being able to know because of yellow journalism of TOI.

TOI and yellow journalism? Interesting. I thought that crown was jointly shared by Ganashakti and Bartamaan.

Work on Eastern freight corridor will start next week: Mamata

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/work-on-eastern-freight-corridor-will-start-next-week-mamata/707695/

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee today said that work for the Eastern freight corridor of the Railways would start next week :cheers:
and it will be done without any assistance from any financial institution.

“This is a project that can create employment in Eastern India, and I believe that with Rs 200 crore budgetary allotment we can start it. Before inauguration of the project next week, I will meet the industrialists concerned,” Banerjee said during an interview with a private TV channel on Thursday.

Banerjee was explaining her view on way to create job opportunities in the region, especially in Bengal. Earlier she had said that once the Trinamool Congress is in the seat of power in Bengal, at least one million youths will get employment.

:banana:

Citing her plans for implementing the dedicated freight corridor Banerjee said, the corridor will attract industry in the state and will create employment.

^^ WTF without any assistance from financial institution :nuts:

I think WB Govt is coming up with a new plan for some of the well portrayed idealistic business leaders to set up huge IT shops. They are promising 100 acres of free land and ten years of no salary to be paid to employees. Taxes will be zero, no electricity and water costs and the state will even make a donation of 150 crores. That should move even the Himalayas.


WTF? are u serious? do you actually have any info regarding that? coz this can only happen in dreams...not in cpim run WB:bash:

Except very few places like Bangalore, hyd, Mumbai, delhi regarding blue color jobs. And west bengal itself has cheap construction labors so it doesn't need that from other places..

oh ya...as if people flow in huge nos. from bengal into b'lore, chennai, hyderabad etc only to work as masons :wtf:...

ask me... i am from mysore, a smaller name compared to the aforesaid places.... there are tons of bengali techies right here in this place...

regarding labor jobs...there are folks happily working in such small scale sectors in b'lore, chennai, hyderabad, mum etc who are of bengal-origin only coz the pay over here in these places is much better than in home state bengal...

oh gr8...dont tell me... suncity wants a stats datasheet regarding this too...

oh ya...as if people flow in huge nos. from bengal into b'lore, chennai, hyderabad etc only to work as masons :wtf:...


Economic migration is a global phenomenon now a days. Many places are well ahead of others regarding that but migration is happening everywhere and that is not a bad thing either. If you walk through Kolkata Saltlake area you hear more telugu, oriya, hindi, english, gujrati or punjabi than bengali. That means people are coming from other places here too and that doesn't mean these guys do not have opportunities in their respective states.

If we even go to other places like durgapur or haldia or even siliguri we can find out many people from other states are working these places as well. Industries and economic activities even in small scale produce huge number of migration from other place.

ask me... i am from mysore, a smaller name compared to the aforesaid places.... there are tons of bengali techies right here in this place...

regarding labor jobs...there are folks happily working in such small scale sectors in b'lore, chennai, hyderabad, mum etc who are of bengal-origin only coz the pay over here in these places is much better than in home state bengal...


I don't need to ask anyone. Being a techie myself I been and worked through many places around India and around the world. And, there are plenty of examples where we see thousands of uneducated labor from so called "developed" states are going to so-called "under developed" states just for couple hundred rupees a day.

oh gr8...dont tell me... suncity wants a stats datasheet regarding this too...

Dude, this is very common in skyscrapercity forum, asking for statistics and data. After all, handful of statistical analysis from middle of nowhere makes few states "developed" and others "poor". Anyway, if you don't have anything then its absolutely fine to express your personal observations. No need to sound like a broken record.

WTF? are u serious? do you actually have any info regarding that? coz this can only happen in dreams...not in cpim run WB:bash:

read it contextually.
It was sarcastic

Anyway, if you don't have anything then its absolutely fine to express your personal observations. No need to sound like a broken record.

:lol:

oh gr8...dont tell me... suncity wants a stats datasheet regarding this too...

:lol:

@ Sun. I cannot but disagree more with you on the role of the left front in the economic decline of our state. For 33 years they have done nothing for the state. They single handedly destroyed all industry in the state. And please do not try to argue with me on that, I am from Durgapur, I have seen with my own eyes how they destroyed the industrial heartland of West Bengal in the 90s for their petty vote bank politics. For all my teenage I grew up hearing leftist that the west and the center are conspiring against the common man. They never tried to be part of the mainstream, they were only interested in segregating the people of the state from the rest of the country and controlling power for as long as they possibly could. You cannot just decide to turn one fine day and be absolved of all your mistakes and misgivings. Even after Buddha came to power there has been lots of noise but little work in reality.
The point anya was trying to make, as far as I understood, is that we as a state have not been selling our brand to the corporates as well as other states have. Why would they think about Kolkata when they get better facilities and more co-operation from the Govt. of Karnataka or Maharashtra. Why would corporates want to come and set shop in Kolkata when you have not invested properly in infrastructure for the last 30 years.
The bloody commies have hoodwinked the entire state for the last 33 years and will keep doing so because, controlling propaganda is a central tenet of any communist hierarchy (learned that recently in a Pol Sc class that I took for fun :P ) Do not believe them or else we will continue to rot for another 33 years.

Shristi Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd has launched a mega integrated park, Kanchan Janga Integrated Park, in Siliguri, West Bengal. The park will provide facilities ranging from industries to commercial, both retail and housing.

The project will be executed by Kanchan Janga Integrated Infrastructure Development Pvt. Ltd, a joint venture company of West Bengal Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd and Shristi Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd.

The entire project will be implemented in three phases within five to seven years. Phase-I of the project is expected to be completed by October 2011. The initial cost of the project is estimated at 500 crore.

The integrated park has been designed by internationally renowned architect Surbana Corporation of Singapore, which has more than 45 years of experience in township planning and development.

Kanchan Janga Integrated Park will have well-defined industrial, commercial, residential and social zones with 50 per cent of the area being developed into a modern industrial park. Assured power and water supply, warehousing and logistics facilities, and information technology support are some of its features.

The residential zone will comprise row housing, apartments and developed plots with appropriate infrastructure. Other amenities include education, healthcare and social infrastructure.

Commenting on the new project, Sunil Jha, CEO, Shristi Infrastructure Division, said, "The way we catered to the Durgapur, Raniganj and Asansol belt, likewise we would like to spread our wings towards far northern parts of the state ensuring recognizable growth in infrastructure sector in those parts."

Source: Projects Monitor (http://www.projectsmonitor.com/COMCOM/shristi-infrastructure-to-set-up-integrated-park)

That is indeed very impressive.If they can create such an integrated area with proper planning and infrastructure support,it could become a nodal area for development and spur industries.
I wish the government which is usually inept when it comes to infrastructural development,could rope in more public private projects such as this.All the government has to do is to quickly clear the red tape and provide a stable and unpolitical atmosphere to let the companies operate.Most large corporations can aquire the land for themselves.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to promote heritage of Murshidabad

Kolkata, 12 Nov: West Bengal's backward Murshidabad district along the Indo-Bangla border will now have an unusual champion in religious guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar who will promote its archaeological and spiritual heritage at a function here on Sunday.

The Art of Living teacher has been roped in by city-based Murshidabad Heritage Development Society (MHDS) to speak on the importance of preserving and conserving the heritage of Murshidabad which was the capital of the Province of Bengal including Bihar and Orissa in the 18th century.

''We are organising a programme 'Resurgence' here on November 14, where His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar shall enthuse the young and old alike to boost our collective consciousness in preserving and conserving our nation's treasures,'' MHDS president Siddharth Dudhoria said.

The function will also be addressed by Jain saint and MHDS mentor Acharya Padmasagar Suri, who is from Murshidabad and has set up his ashram in Gujarat.

''It was Acharya Suriji who inspired us to do something for Murshidabad after he was appalled at the dereliction of the district's culture and heritage. The Azimganj-Jiaganj- Murshidabad circuit, with its huge wealth of culture and heritage, is just waiting for the right kind of initiative and public support for its resurgence,'' he said.

Pointing out that law and order problem in Murshidabad was keeping the district away from public focus, MHDS secretary Sandip Navlakha said that with help from the Art of Living, his organisation recently organised a leadership training camp for 9,000 youth to wean them away from crime.

He said MHDS has recently signed an MOU with the West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation for starting heritage and spiritual tours in Murshidabad.

While MHDS was talking with INTACH for restoration of the heritage monuments, buildings and edifices in the district, it had organised the visit by some well-known French experts to the sites for the purpose, Navlakha said.

Stating that his organisation was lobbying hard with the state government for assistance in the development of infrastructure, Navlakha said the MHDS was also mentoring resident families to protect and add to the region's legacy.

''Besides the leadership training programmes, we are also holding entrepreneurial and vocational training workshops in association with like minded organisations to create employment opportunities for the youth in the area,'' he said.

Navlakha claimed that as a result of its initiatives, a city-based business house has taken up a project to revive the traditional fabrics of Murshidabad, including the world- famous Muslin. ''They have set up a traning institute where they have trained 60 women and 230 men so far.''

In reply to a question, he said, however, that MHDS would not involve itself directly in any project and would only act as facilitators.

http://www.ilovekolkata.in/index.php/News/Sri-Sri-Ravi-Shankar-to-promote-heritage-of-Murshidabad.html

Bengal may get Rs 6000cr lab for futuristic research

KOLKATA: Bengal is set for a big leap in cutting-edge scientific technology — one that could transform the state into a centre for futuristic research. A high energy, third generation synchrotron source, only the fifth such in the world, will be set up on a new campus of the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (SINP).

It will bring an investment of at least `6,000 crore to the state — almost twice that of the Tata Nano project in Singur, say sources.

The synchrotron will aid ahead-of-its-time research on nanotechnology and biological and material studies, with a wide range of applications from the manufacturing industry and engineering to basic sciences and medicine.

"Just four such synchrotrones now exist in the US, France, Japan and Germany. Once we have the facility, India will step into the big league of scientific research. It is going to be India's CERN," said Milan Kumar Sanyal, director of SINP, referring to the world's largest particle physics laboratory in Switzerland where the Big Bang experiment is being carried out. A team of scientists has been formed to supervise the setting up of the synchrotron facility that might take 12 years to turn fully functional. It will require 150 acres of land.


Read more: Bengal may get Rs 6000cr lab for futuristic research - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Bengal-may-get-Rs-6000cr-lab-for-futuristic-research/articleshow/6917732.cms#ixzz15AOi6tN7

self delete.thnx

@ Sun. I cannot but disagree more with you on the role of the left front in the economic decline of our state.

Have you seen any post of mine that says that the Indian Left is at forefront of economic advancement? Instead, you will probably find my posts criticizing the Left Front's economic policies. And that is what bothers me - that the so called "winds of change party" is doing the same mistakes that the Left Front has done.

However - I also would like to know if anything positive at all has happened under Buddha in the past ten years. All the mighty critics seem to know only the "negatives". But is it an absolute truth that nothing positive has happened under Buddha? That is my question. No one has answered it yet. That could mean two things. That either the answer is "NO" or the answer is "DON'T KNOW".

Have you seen any post of mine that says that the Indian Left is at forefront of economic advancement? Instead, you will probably find my posts criticizing the Left Front's economic policies. And that is what bothers me - that the so called "winds of change party" is doing the same mistakes that the Left Front has done.

However - I also would like to know if anything positive at all has happened under Buddha in the past ten years. All the mighty critics seem to know only the "negatives". But is it an absolute truth that nothing positive has happened under Buddha? That is my question. No one has answered it yet. That could mean two things. That either the answer is "NO" or the answer is "DON'T KNOW".

A few positive things have happened under BB leadership:
NSCBI airport modernization, significan development of IT sector in Salt Lake, expansion of some defense related industries, Tata heavy vehical factory in Kharagpour, Nano project ( which was sabotaged by MB for her political profit ) and construction of New Town Rajarhat urban complex. If two wemen of Indian politics Sonia Gandhi and MB would not join hands perhaps much more development would happen by now!

Have you seen any post of mine that says that the Indian Left is at forefront of economic advancement? Instead, you will probably find my posts criticizing the Left Front's economic policies. And that is what bothers me - that the so called "winds of change party" is doing the same mistakes that the Left Front has done.

However - I also would like to know if anything positive at all has happened under Buddha in the past ten years. All the mighty critics seem to know only the "negatives". But is it an absolute truth that nothing positive has happened under Buddha? That is my question. No one has answered it yet. That could mean two things. That either the answer is "NO" or the answer is "DON'T KNOW".


The total electricity generation in WB has increased manifold in last 10 years ...

Bengalis love to say ‘amar santan jeno thake dudhe bhate (let my children get two squaremeals every day)’. The financial health of Bengal, at this moment, puts a question mark to this. Figures and counter-figures, arguments and counter-arguments may help one score a point or two. But that one needs a thorough investigation into the anatomy of financial edifice of West Bengal’s economy is beyond debate. The reason is simple. Among the 17 nonspecial category states in India, West Bengal tops the list in terms of indebtedness of its people as a collective entity — it is estimated at 43.2% of the gross state domestic product (GSDP) in 2008-09, slightly less than its average of 47.1% for 2005-08 (all figures quoted from RBI’s State Finances: A Study of Budgets 2009-10). In current prices, one can say that on the average a person here earns 39,656 while he carries a debt of 17,132 leaving him much poorer than what appears in surface. The corresponding debt percentages in 2008-09 for some other states are 26.1% in Maharashtra, 25.5% in Karnataka and 30% in Gujarat.
So why are we deprived by the goddess of wealth? The answer lies in our actions in the past and not what we are doing now. A good financial practice is the moral responsibility of any government to its own people. We must note that West Bengal refused to enact any fiscal responsibility legislation in the state till the last year, although all other major states had done so almost 5 to 7 years back. The result is nothing to be proud of. For 2005-08, on an average, West Bengal incurred the highest deficit of 3% of GSDP among all the 17 non-special category states in its Revenue account which had gone up to 3.7% in 2008-09.
This is not a new phenomenon. In the eighties when almost all other major states had surplus in their Revenue account we started incurring deficits and this accelerated in the nineties onwards. This necessitated borrowing on the part of the government which finally shows up in the accumulated debt of the state. We are paying about 4% of our aggregate production as interest.
As a result, West Bengal spent 2766 per head as development expenditure for 2005-10 on the average compared to 7804 in Maharashtra and 5322 in Karnataka. Similarly, the per head expenditure on social sector like education, health, food distribution etc in West Bengal is a mere 2066 compared to 5219 in Maharashtra and 3081 in Karnataka. The capital outlay which creates productive capacity in both production and social sectors, was only 339 compared to Maharashtra’s 2024 and Karnataka’s 1493. Thus we have every reason to believe our children may not feel very comfortable in the current perspective.
The belief of precarious nature of our state finance gets strengthened if one delves a little deeper. West Bengal has not only taking recourse to Ways and Means advance from RBI currently to run the daily show. They, like any other state, also floats bonds in the market for borrowing money for general purposes as well as specific purposes (like power bonds). As on March 31, 2009, 58.8% loans of West Bengal government had maturity periods after 7 years and more. Thus in 2016-17, total outgo for loan repayment will be 3201 crores which will simply shoot up three and a half times to 11,607 crores in 2017-18 and 10,544 crores in 2018-19! Why then do we borrow so much? Because West Bengal’s own tax collection as a percentage to GSDP is lowest for the last 15 years or so. So one may put another innocuous query — why is tax collection so low? It is because West Bengal is characterized by small unorganized Manufacturing (highest in India) and many types of services. This does not yield enough taxes. Thus it is easier said than done to tighten one’s belt.
So announcement of schemes may give the Bengal residents short term relief and smiles, but our future generation will not pardon us if we bend them with a mountain of unwelcome debt.

The woes of Bengal continues.

LOOKING AHEAD
State inks power deal with NTPC

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolkata: With the power shortfall in the state likely to reach 600 MW from next summer,the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government cant just bank upon additional generation from the new units expected in the state under the West Bengal Power Development Corporation,given its performance.
The state-owned power distribution company,West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (WBSEDCL),is thus going into long-term power purchase agreements with National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and other merchant power utilities,such as Tata Power,to meet the deficit in the days to come.
WBSEDCL on Saturday inked a long-term power purchase pact with NTPC,that will provide power from its five upcoming projects in the east.Three of them are at Gajmara,Darlipali and Talcher in Orissa,the Farakka III plant in West Bengal and Nabinagar in Bihar.Supply of 155 MW from Farakka III is likely in the 2011-12 financial year,while the others will start supplying power (1602 MW),but not before 2015-16.
Keeping the time gap in mind,the state distribution utility has already signed a PPA (Power Purchase Agreement ) with the joint venture company of Tata Power and Damodar Valley Corporation,that will provide 150 MW from its upcoming plant at Maithon.State power secretary Malay De hinted that many such PPAs are in the pipeline.This apart,WBSEDCL is into retail power purchase for small amounts such as 100 MW during exigencies.
As part of long-term capacity building,the state will build the ultra super critical 800-MW power plant at Katwa in Burdwan and two other super critical plants (2x660 MW) at Santaldih,that will replace the old wornout plants there.Two public sector units BHEL and NTPC are keen on installing the plants.While BHEL has already submitted a proposal that was accepted in the 133rd board meeting of WBSEB,power minister Nirupam Sen keeps the options open.Both are public sector units.BHEL proposes to install the ultra super critical plant and hand it over to us,while NTPC is willing to build and operate the plant.I took this opportunity and requested NTPC authorities to send a team for a spot visit as we have the land there, the power minister said.
NTPC chairman and managing director Arup Roy Choudhury,who came down to Kolkata to sign the agreement,argued that the corporation had an advantage over others.NTPC is in the process of installing the countrys first super critical power plant at Sipat in Chattisgarh that is expected by December.We have the expertise in installing such plants,and we will be running it as well.Our plants have an efficient plant load factor (90%) when the national average is 75%, said Roy Choudhury.
NTPC is committed to provide 50% of the generated power to the home state when power supplied under the existing Gadgil formula comes to around 36%.Under the Gadgil formula,the home state where the thermal power plant comes up gets 10% as preferential allocation,15% is kept at the disposal of the Centre,and the other 75% is allocated to all beneficiary states,including the home state,on the basis of their energy consumption.The Union power ministry is taking a relook at this formula in view of merchant companies entering the sector.
The states share could be more,depending on the stakes it has in the power plant, said NTPC director (commercial) Inderjit Kapoor.The state government,however,is yet to decide the amount and nature of stakes it is going to have in these proposed power plants.

HospitalitybizIndia (http://www.hospitalitybizindia.com/detailNews.aspx?aid=9527&sid=1)

WelcomHeritage takes its tally to 67 hotels across India
Saturday, November 13, 2010, 16:00 Hrs [IST]
By HBI Staff | Mumbai
WelcomHeritage, a joint venture between ITC Hotels and The Maharaja of Jodhpur, has signed five more properties in India taking its tally to 67 heritage hotels across the country. Out of the five properties three are located in West Bengal (Chilapata, Garumara and Mandarmani), one in Uttar Pradesh (Varanasi) and one in Uttarakhand (Almora). The heritage operator also plans to venture into Orissa by the end of 2010. The upcoming properties will be a mix of franchise and management contracts.

While all the three properties in West Bengal belong to a single owner, Roofers Hotels Ltd, the property in Almora belongs to Trans Himalayan Hospitality Ltd, a local hospitality company and the Varanasi hotel is owned by Jukaso Group, Delhi. As far as inventory is concerned, the five properties put together will add around 120 rooms to the total room inventory of the hotel group.

Rakesh Mathur, President, WelcomHeritage asserts that the properties in West Bengal will help the Group enhance its presence in the eastern region and the company is scouting for more locations in the state including the Sunderbans. WelcomHeritage will soon embark on a re-branding exercise, with which all the hotels under their fold will be classified in different categories depending on their heritage value, location, etc. Similarly, the Group is also looking at different business models and is considering management and long-lease models of management with property owners.

States creditability at stake

Udit Prasanna Mukherji | TNN

Kolkata: Trying to keep afloat by market borrowing,when 93% of the state revenues goes towards paying salaries,interests and subsidies,doesnt seem sustainable.Financial rot has eaten into the states creditworthiness and state finance minister Asim Dasgupta is likely to face the heat in the market when he goes seeking debt instruments to tide over the crisis.
The states poor finances have prompted leading credit rating agencies Fitch and Care to examine the rot and there are enough indications that they may downgrade the credit ratings of the government and state financial undertakings West Bengal Finance Corporation (WBFC) and West Ben-gal Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation (WBIDFC).
Both the agencies are now reviewing the financial health of the state government.They will take a call within a fortnight.There is every chance that the state institutions will suffer a downslide in the rating scale, sources said.WBIDFC was rated A (Ind so) by Fitch last year,down by a notch from its earlier A (Ind so) rating.According to sources in the debt market,the state government raised 500 crore in the last auction conducted by the Reserve Bank of India at 8.42 % per annum interest.Once downgraded,the state institutions have to pay more interest on debts due to increased risk that will eventually put pressure on the frayed state coffers,thus dragging the state into a vicious cycle.
Debtors will then ask for more guaranties from the state government,to the extent of even seeking written undertakings.That could be a reason why the government,and not the state financial undertakings,floated bonds worth 2,000 crore in June and July in a bid to protect the plan expenditure.
At the moment,state public undertakings enjoy a BBB+ rating by Care,which is considered safe for investment by experts.AAA is the best rating,followed by AA+, AA,AA,A+, A and A.BBB+ comes after A.Care is reviewing the grading and any slip from BBB+ rating may tell upon their creditworthiness.
The feared downslide may push Bengal behind Punjab,Madhya Pradesh,Maharashtra and Kerala.Some others such as Gujarat,Andhra Pradesh,Rajasthan,Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are already ahead of Bengal.
Bond market dealers said usually SDLs,depending upon the strength of the states finances,command a premium of about 30-45 basis points over the comparative central government papers.The main buyers of these papers are Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO),LIC,other pension and provident funds,public sector banks and cooperative banks.Indian private sector banks and foreign banks usually do not buy these papers.However,most of these papers are not regularly traded in the market.
(with inputs from Partha Sinha)
http://lite.epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/TOIKM/2010/11/16/4/Img/Pc0041000.jpg

Nabard grants 206 cr for giving rural infra a facelift

ET KOLKATA
The National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development (Nabard) announced on Monday that it has sanctioned 206.5 crore for rural infrastructure development in West Bengal.The development bank allotted the sum from the rural infrastructure development fund (RIDF).
The state has so far received a sanctioned limit of 616 crore from Nabard this fiscal under RIDF.It received sanctioned limit of 920 crore in 2009-10,while it actually borrowed 570 crore.
Out of the latest sanctions,West Bengal,which has just faced one of the worst droughts in recent times this year,will get 101 crore for developing minor irrigation.
The state proposed to install 3,076 minor structures for river lift irrigation and shallow tube wells with the fund.These projects are expected to cover 23,000 hectares and generate non-recurring employment for 39.80 lakh mandays.The recurring employment is estimated to be 15,700 per year.
Announcing the fresh limits,Nabard said it has emphasised on flood protection projects,too.Nearly 43% of the states geographical area is flood prone posing a constant threat to agricultural land and human habitats, it said,sanctioning 74.37 crore for 21 flood protection and prevention of soil erosion projects in Murshidabad,Jalpaiguri,Coochbehar and Paschim Medinipur.
The projects will cumulatively benefit 14,234 hectares in four districts.These projects mainly pertain to protection of existing river banks with proper side slopes and is aimed to protect the occurrence of floods, Nabard said.
The development bank has also sanctioned 14 crore to improve rural connectivity in Uttar Dinajpur district.A total road length of 32.80 km is expected to be developed, it said,adding that under road building projects,5.2 lakh mandays will be created.

States creditability at stake

Hi Samit,

Dont give these type of links in SSC.
Dont you know that there are so many Left Front supporters here who will feel really bad?
This is just another example of stupid journalism by TNN.
Kolkata and West Bengal is under the able guidance of Buddha/ Debesh /Biman.
If sonia and Mamata would not have joined hands, Kolkata would have become another Manhattan by now.
Ohh ho sorry, I think the comparison is not proper. Buddha/Debesh has plans of making Rajarhat a combination of New York and Silicon valley as it is going to have both R & D hub as well as a financial hub.
So hail Left Front. !!!!!!!
Dont listen to the improper reporting by TNN and allies.

Kolkata, Nov 16 (IANS) Throwing a challenge to the opposition Trinamool Congress, which has launched a fresh movement on the land acquisition issue in the north eastern fringes of the city, the West Bengal government Tuesday offered to return 11 per cent of the acquired land if Mamata Banerjee's party allowed Tata Motors to establish their second small car unit at Singur.

The state government arm, Housing and Infrastructural Development Corporation (HIDCO) has acquired large tracts of land in the Rajarhat-Newtown area to set up a satellite township christened Jyoti Basu Nagar.

On Saturday, Banerjee led a rally in the area and threatened legal steps if 10 percent developed land was not returned to farmers.

'She has demanded that 10 per cent of the developed land in the township be returned to the farmers. Whatever be the odds, I will return 11 percent of the land there to the farmers. But Banerjee will have to agree to let the Tatas set up their factory in Singur if the state government returned 10 percent of the acquired land there to the farmers,' Housing Minister Gautam Deb told media persons here.

Deb said once Banerjee agreed to his proposal, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee will talk to the Tatas. Banerjee then should let Tata Motors start the second factory of Nano there.'Thus we can have a settlement in Singur'.

Tata Motors had abandoned plans to set up their small car Nano plant at Hooghly district's Singur, about 40 kms from Kolkata, in Oct, 2008, after Banerjee's Trinamool led an intense peasant agitation demanding return of 400 acres of the 997.11 acre acquired land to farmers from whom the land had been 'forcibly' acquired.

After Singur and Nandigram, Rajarhat on the northeastern fringes of the city is turning into a new political flash point on land acquisition. Banerjee, who had spearheaded the land acquisition protests at Singur and Nandigram earlier, took out a large rally Saturday that traversed some areas of Rajarhat.

She alleged that to develop the area into an industrial town, the state government has forcibly taken away 25,000 acre agricultural land from the farmers, most of whom were religious minorities and backward classes.

'They were not paid any compensation for the land. Till now 200 farmers, whose land was forcibly taken away, have not received any payment,' she said.

Launching a scathing attack on Banerjee, Deb said 'She has become a symbol of destruction. She has finished Singur. She has finished Nandigram. Now she is trying to finish Rajarjhat. But she should remember Rajarhat is not Singur. Singur will be her waterloo'.

Get this our ministers are playing with land as if fighting for toys in a park!
You give me that and i will give you this!
Why dont we just pay them a few crores each and tell them to retire,will save the thousands of crores of economic growth we lose every year.

Sometimes i wonder where is democracy heading.:bash:

:lol:

Get this our ministers are playing with land as if fighting for toys in a park!
You give me that and i will give you this!
Why dont we just pay them a few crores each and tell them to retire,will save the thousands of crores of economic growth we lose every year.

Sometimes i wonder where is democracy heading.:bash:

It is heading towords lumpenocracy!

Stupid demand gets stupid response. That's what mr. Ded replied..

www.anandabazar.com

Jain group to invest 100 Cr for a new 5 Star hotel in Siliguri..
http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/6334/siligurihotel.jpg

Hi Samit,
Dont you know that there are so many Left Front supporters here who will feel really bad?
Kolkata and West Bengal is under the able guidance of Buddha/ Debesh /Biman.
.

Please dont politicise in SSC.

Get this our ministers are playing with land as if fighting for toys in a park!
You give me that and i will give you this!
Why dont we just pay them a few crores each and tell them to retire,will save the thousands of crores of economic growth we lose every year.

Sometimes i wonder where is democracy heading.:bash:

He said - she said - the allegations and counter allegations continue:

From the Telegraph

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/8295/gautam1.jpg (http://img404.imageshack.us/i/gautam1.jpg/)

What is the state going to gain from Miss Mamata and Mr Gautam fighting over this issue? They should bury their enemity. But then this is the run up to vote season. So wild allegations will be made to fool the public.

Please dont politicise in SSC.

A little bit of political discussion is fine. West Bengal and politics go hand in hand. A majority of forumers here try to be pretty balanced in their view points.

The only problem is that some forumers assume that if someone disagrees with them, then they must belong to the "rival" camp. So if someone criticizes Mamata then he/she must be Left Front supporter. And if someone criticizes Left Front then he/she must be Trinamool supporter. Such assumptions are often incorrect.

:cheers:

Agree with you Suncity.
But I hate endless irrelevant political debate/discussions in Projects and developments Thread.
Better to go to Adda/discussions thread.
Though it is my personal opinion.

Hahahahahaahahahaa.Good joke.
Close factory--->Lock them-->Reopen/Recalim and celebrate :bash:

AMENDED ACT
Govt to reclaim land locked by closed units

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolkata: In a bid that is being perceived as a tactic to armtwist the industrialists who are getting friendly with Mamata Banerjee,the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government on Tuesday woke up to the cause of reclaiming the locked lands lying with closed mills,factories and tea gardens that they had been allowed to retain for industrial purposes.And the legal tool to do that is the amended West Bengal Estates Acquisition (Amendment ) Act,2009,that got the Presidents assent a month ago.
Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee held a meeting with state commerce and industries minister Nirupam Sen and land and land reforms minister Abdur Rezzak Mollah on Tuesday over ways to implement the Act for setting up a land bank for new investment.The move is expected to get access to around 4.5 lakh acres of land locked in closed tea gardens and more than 30,000 acres cinched in closed factories.It will be discussed at length in the state Cabinet, the industry minister said.
The amended Act has done away with the earlier provision of the 1953 Act that allowed premises of these factories,mills or tea gardens to be developed or used for other purposes as well,but with the permission of the state government.There are many instances where industrialists moved court citing the provision to get permission for building apartments,housing complex or shopping malls to meet the statutory dues of employees of the closed units.The amended Act plugs this change in land use.
Under the new law,the government can reclaim the entire land it allowed industrialists to retain as lessee in the fifties,before the West Bengal Estates Acquisition Act,1953 came into effect.Even for those who purchased land after 1953 and were allowed to keep land beyond the urban land ceiling of 24.2 acres for setting up mills,factories and tea gardens,the new law enables the government to take back the land excess of the land ceiling.
However,there are practical problems in putting the reclaimed land to use.For instance,the government can no longer set up industries n such locked in places such as Baranagar,Bansdroni,Jadavpur that have all turned into residential areas in all these years.We can set up non-polluting units in these areas.Or,we can fetch fresh investments for other social purpose.We might also sell out the land through public auction, said the land and land reforms minister.Land so resumed can also be distributed to the landless.

The Telegraph

http://img831.imageshack.us/img831/3127/18112010010007.jpg

Hahahahahaahahahaa.Good joke.
Close factory--->Lock them-->Reopen/Recalim and celebrate :bash:

AMENDED ACT
Govt to reclaim land locked by closed units

^^the WB govt is doing what Mumbai has done over the past decade with a fair amount of success. They should start negotiating with real estate developers for commerical or residential development. It will provide some earning potential for a cash strapped state govt

He said - she said - the allegations and counter allegations continue:

From the Telegraph

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/8295/gautam1.jpg (http://img404.imageshack.us/i/gautam1.jpg/)

What is the state going to gain from Miss Mamata and Mr Gautam fighting over this issue? They should bury their enemity. But then this is the run up to vote season. So wild allegations will be made to fool the public.

^^I am more inclined to agree with Deb's responses. Just look at the wild accusations of the ugly woman:nuts:. She may not know the difference between polluting and non-polluting. She may also think "IT" is different from industry.

Electro Zavod sets up plant in Bengal

http://sify.com/finance/electro-zavod-sets-up-plant-in-bengal-news-equity-klsblFahabb.html


Electro Zavod, a company specialising in manufacturing equipment for the bulk material-handling industry, has set up a new integrated manufacturing facility in West Bengal.

The new facility was inaugurated by West Bengal Governor M K Narayanan. Speaking on the occasion, A Paulraj, executive director, Electro Zavod, said, "Our economy is doing extremely well and we are growing at seven to nine per cent. Our thrust will now be to concentrate on iron ore beneficiation plants, coal washeries and power plants."

Electro Zavod (India) Pvt Ltd is a 37-year-old company specialising in manufacturing material handling equipment produces vibrating screens in technical collaboration with Jost GMBH Co KG, Germany, lifting magnets in collaboration with Rotary Engineering, UK, Vibrating Feeders in collaboration with Erka OY, Finland, magnetic Separators as per the technology transferred from Almhults El-Mek AB, Sweden and Cable Reels and Slip Ring Assemblies as per the technology transferred from Bischoff and Hensel, Germany.

The equipment is used in large systems that handle bulk materials like coal, iron ore, cement and so on. Electro Zavod's major customers include companies in the public and private sector: viz Larsen & Toubro, SAIL, NTPC, BHEL, etc.

Nirupam claims

West Bengal still among top industry destinations, says Nirupam

http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/west-bengal-still-among-top-industry-destinations-says-nirupam/415361/

In an effort to silence all the critics and doubting Thomases of West Bengal government’s industrial policies after the Singur and Nandigram episodes, the state industries Minster, Nirupam Sen, on Thursday pointed out that it was one of the fastest growing state in terms of industrial growth in the country.

“Despite negative perceptions, we are one of the most attractive investment destinations in India. During the last financial year, we posted a positive industrial growth of above 10.5 per cent. Moreover, we have implemented 206 industrial units across the state with an investment of above Rs 4,400 crore,” Sen said.

Emami to expand Haldia operations

http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/emami-to-invest-rs-950-cr-in-edible-oil-business/115887/on

On expansion, Agarwal said the company already has a 300 tpd of palm oil in Haldia, which it wants to expand up to 1,000 tpd by August 2011.

It also plans to add another 600 tpd for soya oil at Haldia.

Ohh No.........:bash:

Steel majors not taking possession of Purulia land

Udit Prasanna Mukherji | TNN

Kolkata: Promoters of the much-touted steel projects lined up at Raghunathpur in Purulia Jai Balaji,Adhunik and Shyam Steel are not taking possession of the land handed over to them by the state government.And those who have taken possession in part,are not registering the land.
The reason seems to be the bankability of the projects.Banks are not willing to fund the projects that have stiff exit clauses attached to them.This is the other extreme that the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government is resorting to,after going too soft on Tata Motors over the Nano project in Singur.The government was left biting its nails when the Tatas shifted to Sanand in Gujarat leaving the state in the lurch.
West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) has handed over 1,129 acres to the Jai Balaji Group,of which the group got possession of the 750 acres two years ago in December 2008.The rest was transferred a year ago in 2009.
The Adhunik Group got 90% of its proposed land requirement for steel project in February 2009.And Shyam Steel is yet to take possession of the 350-acre land acquired for its steel project.
When contacted,the state industry secretary Dipankar Mukhopadhyay admitted that Jai Balaji and Adhunik have not yet registered the land.But he added that it would be sorted out soon.The entire stretch of land for Shyam Steel is not yet ready but there is no problem with Jai Balaji and Adhunik.We are discussing with them, Mukhopadhyay said.
According to sources,this seems to be the fallout of the strict penalty clauses,and also the land refund clause in case the project gets delayed.
The banks are not ready finance projects with such strict clauses.It is very difficult to convince the banks.This has already been conveyed to the state government, industry sources said.It is learnt that some of them has requested the state government to relax some clauses before registration.Once the registration is done the clauses cannot be changed.So it is better to convey our concern before that, sources added.
The Jai Balaji Group was planning 5 million tonne steel,3 million tonne cement and 1,215 MW power project at Raghunathpur in Purulia with an investment of Rs 16,000 crore.The company was supposed to invest Rs 2,700 crore in the first phase.In the first phase we are setting up a 2 million tonne steel plant,400 MW power plant and one million tonne cement grinding plant, a company official earlier said.Adhunik is setting up a 1.1 million steel plant,1,125MW captive power plant and 1 million tonne cement plant.The total investment would be in the region of Rs 7,200 crore.Shyam Steel had proposed 1.2 million tonne steel plant with an investment of Rs 3,600 crore in the first phase.

Ohh No.........:bash:

Steel majors not taking possession of Purulia land

The news report is confusing.

It says

1) Jai Balaji,Adhunik and Shyam Steel are not taking possession of the land handed over to them by the state government.

2) And those who have taken possession in part,are not registering the land.

The question is who are "those"? Jai Balaji, Adhunik and Shyam Steel? Or someone else - no other company has been mentioned.

I think there is a difference between taking possession and doing the registration.

The WB govt was criticized for not being tough with Tata's exit clause. Now it is being criticized for being too tough with the exit clauses of these companies?

:lol:

The companies and the state will negotiate on this for sure provided the companies are still interested in their plans.

In Feb 2009, the TOI (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Funds-mess-hits-Purulia-projects/articleshow/4130245.cms) was weeping about how because of funds crunch land was not being acquired for these "much touted" (do they use this term to sound smartly sarcastic?) projects.

Meanwhile the Jai Balaji plant just got environmental clearance (http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/buzzing-stocks/jai-balaji-ind-plant-gets-environmental-clearance-stk-up_496903.html). A Rs 225 crore alloy steel plant of this group was inaugurated last year in Durgapur. Shyam Steel also has an integrated steel plant in Durgapur. Adhunik Group also has a couple of plants in Durgapur. Since they are already doing business in the state, let's hope that now the land acquistion is somewhat done, the other issues can be settled as well.

"Much touted" projects,
:lol:

just like our "much touted" reporting skills.

WB has never figured high in FDI. But surprisingly WB+Sikkim+A&N region ranked number 3 in the country for the figures that have come for the first five months of the fiscal. Not sure of the breakup.

http://www.rediff.com/business/slide-show/slide-show-1-the-hottest-fdi-destinations-in-india/20101118.htm

The states of West Bengal, Sikkim, Andaman & Nicobar Islands together attracted the third highest FDI inflows worth $1.416 billion (Rs 6,050 crore) during the first five months of the current fiscal.

Education has a direct impact on development. WB has long struggled in the field of "education for all". This is despite all the socialist rhetoric of the dinosaurs in politburo whose failed educational policies for a couple of decades made education more elitist. The dinos have been forced to allow English back, open more schools, colleges and universities (especially after the whipping at elections), stop opposition to private engineering colleges etc (Medical education is still a issue with very few institues for such a populated state). Finally some good news in the numbers front


Madhyamik to breach million mark

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1101119/jsp/calcutta/story_13192009.jsp

About 1,050,000 examinees will appear for the next Madhyamik, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said on Thursday after unveiling the new eight-storey administrative headquarters of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education in Salt Lake.

After expressing happiness at the increase in the number of Madhyamik examinees, Bhattacharjee voiced concerns about the thousands of students who would pass the Class X board exams but would not find a place in Class XI.

“What will happen to those who cannot secure seats in the conventional Plus Two courses?” he asked.

The chief minister also suggested a way out. “Keeping in mind the increased requirement of skilled hands, the best solution is to start vocational courses at the school level. The board will have to take the initiative to start such courses,” he said.

^^its great that more than a million will be appearing for their 10th board exams, but then do we have so many seats in colleges, all across the state??
Though its a different issue that students, get into colleges not for pursuing studies but to learn violent politics!!!:ohno:

PS: I am mentioning about Govt colleges, and not Pvt clges!

PS: I am mentioning about Govt colleges, and not Pvt clges!

All political organization related students unions should be banned in educational institutions especially government colleges. Tax payers' money used for subsidizing education should not be used to nurture such trouble makers (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1101121/jsp/bengal/story_13202649.jsp).

^^

I agree with your sentiments but what about politics then .. If we don't have student politicians then we will never have young and good politicians ever !!!

Its important that students must experience democracy in colleges .. I thing the Univs must try to control and direct student politics in a more beneficial and constructive way !! Politics is the soul of our Democracy !!

There must be some other solution than outright ban on student politics !!

^^

I agree with your sentiments but what about politics then .. If we don't have student politicians then we will never have young and good politicians ever !!!
!!

this is a great point! thanks for improving the clarity in my thinking!!!

the issue is how to regulate student behvaior -- what is allowed and what is not allowed -- these are the issues. debates must have rules.

Confusing........Someone put on some clarification....
Teachers,students protest land handover to Reliance

Ashis Poddar | TNN
Kalyani: Decades of crucial agricultural research at Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya (BCKV) stands the risk of being wiped out with the state governments decision of handing over 42.26 acres at Nadias Mohanpur to the Reliance Group for an IT park??????????.Up in arms against the handover,teachers and students are reportedly planning a protest on Monday.
Teachers council of BCKV has called a convention of professors,students and workers to concretize an agitation against the destruction of their research land,known as Mondouri Farm.We wont allow anyone to take away our land.The farms destruction will mean a loss of link to many researches.In some cases,data collection has been going on since the last 30 years, said prof Ajay Mukherjee.
Many voices have risen in a groundswell of opinion against the government decision.Vice-president of the council,Aptabul Jaman,said,The handover will be a great loss to old research projects. Condemning the move,Prof Shantanu Jha said,It will hamper research. Council member Prof Asit Chakraborty said,Its bad news.
According to sources,the university had around 250 acres of farm land.Of this,42.26 acres had been handed over to the state higher education department during the tenure of vice-chancellor Dipak Bagchi.The matter came to light only about a month and a half ago when the process of demarcating was initiated, said Ajay.
There are also reports of 2 km of research land going over to Institute of National Disaster Management for the construction of a road.V-C Saroj Kumar Sanyal said,We are trying to get back the land and have also spoken to departments concerned.
Dreading the loss of years of study,Sanyal added,There are 50-year-old trees related to research.We have to arrive at an amicable solution.
Not wanting to comment before going through all documents,district magistrate Sanjay Bansal said,The decision was taken in 2006.Ill be able to comment in detail only on Thursday.
Most projects of the university are granted and financed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR),New Delhi.Jayanta Tarafdar,conducting a research on tuber crops,said,This project has been going on since 1976 with yearly funds of Rs 40 lakh from ICAR.Itll be a great loss....
Prof Mahadev Pramanick,former in charge of fertiliser management research,said,The project,initiated in 1980,will be hampered.ICAR grants around Rs 50 lakh a year for the same.

A few projects in Asansol (courtsey: ADDA website)

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/2890/addap.jpg (http://img35.imageshack.us/i/addap.jpg/)

^^

I agree with your sentiments but what about politics then .. If we don't have student politicians then we will never have young and good politicians ever !!!

Its important that students must experience democracy in colleges .. I thing the Univs must try to control and direct student politics in a more beneficial and constructive way !! Politics is the soul of our Democracy !!

There must be some other solution than outright ban on student politics !!

No one said outright ban on student politics. Students can do all the dirty party politics outside the campus. Inside the campus there should be no place for hooliganism especially where education is subsidized by taxpayers.

The poor quality of one time student politicians like Mamta Bannerjee or Biman Bose do not raise much hopes.

Please try to provide a hyperlink to news posts.

Confusing........Someone put on some clarification....
Teachers,students protest land handover to Reliance

That's supposed to be the job of real journalists. Journalism needs accountabilty and honesty. They are supposed to check out allegations and provide clarity on what is being said and what is the actual situation.

Is it an IT Park? Wasn't Kalyani a proposed campus for the DA-IICT (http://www.daiict.ac.in/daiict/index.html)? That too was supposed to come up in 50 acres and ran into land issues (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Anil-Ambani-tech-college-in-trouble/articleshow/4337186.cms).

No one said outright ban on student politics. Students can do all the dirty party politics outside the campus. Inside the campus there should be no place for hooliganism especially where education is subsidized by taxpayers.

The poor quality of one time student politicians like Mamta Bannerjee or Biman Bose do not raise much hopes.

I think once education is extensively privatized, people will understand that there are no free lunch. They have to pay for their degree. That will be the end of destructive politics in education sector.

State bets big with Durgapur IT Park: Inauguration Scheduled On Nov 29 By Chief Minister

There is some good news for the state on industry front. Its Information Technology (IT) department is reigniting the hope once again with its Durgapur IT Park, all set to be inaugurated on November 29 by the chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.
“We are ready with our Durgapur IT park spread across 56,000 square feet on 3 acres. It will be inaugurated by the chief minister on November 29,” IT minister Debesh Das told TOI.
This project will generate employment for 600 people directly, he said, adding that three companies have already agreed to take space in the hub, one of which is Itrix Technologies.
The project, work for which has started one-and-a-half years back, will entail a cost of 20 crore. The land for the project was given by Asansol Durgapur Development Authority, he said, adding that the state government undertook this project at the time of global financial downturn.
On Siliguri IT park project, Das said: “The project is ready. It will be inaugurated any time after the Durgapur project.” It is also coming up on 3 acres spread across more than 50,000 square feet, entailing a cost of 20 crore. Land for the Siliguri project was provided by Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority. Till 2006, the IT department had only 181 acres under it, but now it has another 300 acres in Rajarhat, 130 acres in Bantala, 10 acres in Nonadanga and 3 acres each in Durgapur and Siliguri.
The state government has decided to build another project in Kharagpur on the lines of Durgapur and Siliguri IT park. “We have taken a plot of 3 acres in Kharagpur also to build an IT park. It is close to National Highway 6. For this, work will start by the yearend,” Das said.
He said the Kharagpur unit would help the local call centres in the Jamshedpur and Jharkhand zone. “We are doing this project keeping in mind this catchment area only.” TNN

source: Times of India

Year 2005: Kolkata, and West Bengal, suffer from sharp and sudden power outages. And much of the fault lies with sloppy fault attendance, lack of automatic meters and monitoring systems and not the least, Bengal's poor work culture. Adding to the frustration, consumers receive inflated bills and above all, collection offices have few bill payment counters. Plus, the accounting system is paper-based.

2006-2010: During this phase, West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company (WBSEDCL) — the power distribution utility — goes through a technology transformation. Five call centres are set up to handle the entire gamut of functions: from uploading new customer details to complaints to billing enquiries. Users making complaints get instant SMSes on how fast the fault is being rectified. Moreover, the state government installs 7,000 tathya mitras – e-kiosks integrated with 1,600 bill payment centres. WBSEDCL is voted the second-best state-owned power distribution company and bags the Prime Minister's award for technology initiatives.

"Every complaint has been given a fixed time to be addressed to. For example, if it is a local distribution fault, the time limit is a maximum of four hours. Every time a complaint is made, an SMS is generated and gets delivered to a team waiting in a mobile van — the one nearest to the fault location," says MK De, chairman, WBSEDCL. "We have appointed five third-party agencies who handle all calls, specially fault complaints," he adds.

So significant has been the technology-led change at WBSEDCL that its transformation has become a beacon for Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, which are all modernising their IT systems to make power utilities more efficient. "The main concern of the government has been inadequate collection of bills and improper billings leading to leakages and losses. Some have been paying less than what they are consuming and others like the industrial consumers have been paying exorbitantly high prices," Arvind Mahajan, head, energy and resources at KPMG said.

"The problem, however, is not all distribution companies have the wherewithal to invest. But power agencies in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh are planning to rope in private players for improving collection and plugging leakages. Some are even looking at monitoring load on a real-time basis and planning to implement a combination of ERP packages, better billing systems and improved customer interfaces," says Mr Mahajan.

While experts say the total IT investment in the distribution sector could top Rs 3,000 crore over the two to three years, WBSECL itself is planning to invest Rs 600 crore in IT, spanning two years. Implementing an ERP package is part of this capital expenditure. The ERP system will cover accounting, human resources, stores and, project management functions. "We plan to call for bids soon. The system will make it easier for us to handle accounts leading to increased revenue earnings," points out De.

Taking technology intitiatives a step ahead, the state utility is planning to install wireless GSM-based meters at homes. The meters will automatically transmit reading from the meters to a control centre. In the first phase, the GSM meters will be installed for bulk consumers, whose consumption can be monitored on a real-time basis.

"These would be for consumers like malls, electric arc furnaces and hotels where consumption is over Rs 30,000 per month," says a senior state government official. The system will have an in-built alarm which will buzz if it notices any anomaly in power consumption. In that way, the GSM-based meters will keep a tab on power theft, a major bugbear for all power utilities across the country.

New initiatives
The company will be also implementing a Rs 100-crore smart grid project on a pilot basis. The grid is likely to handle all business operations – procurement and supply of power as well as billing and accounting — simultaneously through a single electronic platform. It will allow power connections to be remotely disconnected in case the bills are not paid on time.

A project — to be completed over the next two year — to introduce geographical mapping of entire electric network is on the cards too. With geo-location in place, an electronic control system will know if there are any faults and will make for faster fault finding. It will be faster for the company to allow load extensions and generation of quotation for new connections. Today, officials need to physically travel to the site to map these things — load and new connection.

On a similar line, WBSEDCL — which has as many as 473 revenue units — is networking all the revenue centres by December, 2010. This link-up will allow introduction of a host of services like 'any-branch bill payment' and bill payments through text messages.

To reduce bill payment queues further, the company is installing 450 cash-collections machines, which can be operated by the customers. It will also have a recorded voice system that will guide customers how to handle these equipment. A vendor will be in charge of the maintaining these machines and will earn commissions on the number of transactions the machines handle.

"This system cannot be fudged. The call centre is run by a third party, which will have no interest in fudging the reports," said a senior official from WBSEDCL. Another third-party agency has also been appointed to make regular test checks with consumers after the fault has been attended to. This is to make sure that the team in charge of fault repairs is not making a false report on the complaint to be attended. This external team will audit about 5-10% of all complaints.

On the delivery side, WBSEDCL is also implementing a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) package for monitoring power system faults. It will also be a load shedding management system that will control power load on a real-time basis depending on power availability and consumption. Right now, the command to carry out 'load shedding' — technical jargon for power cuts — is conveyed over phone from the main control room and there is a lag of a few hours.


Read more: How IT powered West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Co - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/enterprise-it/services-apps/How-IT-powered-West-Bengal-State-Electricity-Distribution-Co/articleshow/6974786.cms#ixzz165rmJaRW

State bets big with Durgapur IT Park: Inauguration Scheduled On Nov 29 By Chief Minister

There is some good news for the state on industry front. Its Information Technology (IT) department is reigniting the hope once again with its Durgapur IT Park, all set to be inaugurated on November 29 by the chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.
“We are ready with our Durgapur IT park spread across 56,000 square feet on 3 acres. It will be inaugurated by the chief minister on November 29,” IT minister Debesh Das told TOI.
This project will generate employment for 600 people directly, he said, adding that three companies have already agreed to take space in the hub, one of which is Itrix Technologies.
The project, work for which has started one-and-a-half years back, will entail a cost of 20 crore. The land for the project was given by Asansol Durgapur Development Authority, he said, adding that the state government undertook this project at the time of global financial downturn.
On Siliguri IT park project, Das said: “The project is ready. It will be inaugurated any time after the Durgapur project.” It is also coming up on 3 acres spread across more than 50,000 square feet, entailing a cost of 20 crore. Land for the Siliguri project was provided by Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority. Till 2006, the IT department had only 181 acres under it, but now it has another 300 acres in Rajarhat, 130 acres in Bantala, 10 acres in Nonadanga and 3 acres each in Durgapur and Siliguri.
The state government has decided to build another project in Kharagpur on the lines of Durgapur and Siliguri IT park. “We have taken a plot of 3 acres in Kharagpur also to build an IT park. It is close to National Highway 6. For this, work will start by the yearend,” Das said.
He said the Kharagpur unit would help the local call centres in the Jamshedpur and Jharkhand zone. “We are doing this project keeping in mind this catchment area only.” TNN

^^looks like the state govt got hooked onto '3'. These are baby steps to increase IT infrastructure outside Kolkata and it is good to see small companies willing to open up in these parks.

:cheers:

State bets big with Durgapur IT Park: Inauguration Scheduled On Nov 29 By Chief Minister

There is some good news for the state on industry front. Its Information Technology (IT) department is reigniting the hope once again with its Durgapur IT Park, all set to be inaugurated on November 29 by the chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.
“We are ready with our Durgapur IT park spread across 56,000 square feet on 3 acres. It will be inaugurated by the chief minister on November 29,” IT minister Debesh Das told TOI.
This project will generate employment for 600 people directly, he said, adding that three companies have already agreed to take space in the hub, one of which is Itrix Technologies.
The project, work for which has started one-and-a-half years back, will entail a cost of 20 crore. The land for the project was given by Asansol Durgapur Development Authority, he said, adding that the state government undertook this project at the time of global financial downturn.
On Siliguri IT park project, Das said: “The project is ready. It will be inaugurated any time after the Durgapur project.” It is also coming up on 3 acres spread across more than 50,000 square feet, entailing a cost of 20 crore. Land for the Siliguri project was provided by Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority. Till 2006, the IT department had only 181 acres under it, but now it has another 300 acres in Rajarhat, 130 acres in Bantala, 10 acres in Nonadanga and 3 acres each in Durgapur and Siliguri.
The state government has decided to build another project in Kharagpur on the lines of Durgapur and Siliguri IT park. “We have taken a plot of 3 acres in Kharagpur also to build an IT park. It is close to National Highway 6. For this, work will start by the yearend,” Das said.
He said the Kharagpur unit would help the local call centres in the Jamshedpur and Jharkhand zone. “We are doing this project keeping in mind this catchment area only.” TNN

Infosys inks deal with West Bengal for 50-acre campus

IT major Infosys Technologies Tuesday signed an agreement with the West Bengal government for setting up a campus on a 50-acre plot at Rajarhat in the city's north eastern fringes that is expected to provide employment to 15,000-20,000 people.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the IT giant and the state's Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (HIDCO) for the site, said state Housing Minister Gautam Deb.

Infosys was required to pay Rs.75 crore for the plot, which was close to the site given for another IT giant Wipro.

'Infosys will now pay 25 percent of the land prices as the first instalment and the rest of the amount once the connector road to the campus is complete,' said state IT Minister Debesh Das, who was present at the media meet.

'The project will create jobs for 15,000-20,000 people,' Deb said.

The deal was sealed after the two ministers had day-long talks with Infosys mentor N.R. Narayana Murthy and other top company officials over phone and video conferencing.

'They have said they want to complete the project very quickly,' he said.

Besides WIPRO, Tata Consultancy Services has also taken possession of a plot at Rajarhat.

The HIDCO led by Deb has acquired large tracts of land in the Rajarhat-Newtown area to set up a satellite township christened Jyoti Basu Nagar.

Deb also said Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) would also be provided land for setting up laboratories, offices and residential complexes for their employees.

'Land will be given to DRDO and CBI for setting up laboratories of DRDO and offices and residential complexes of CBI. We are also giving land to NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation) to set up their office here,' said Deb.

He added that land would be given to Jindal steel and Japanese carmaker Toyota in the area. While Jindal Steel will set up their corporate office, Toyota will come up with a car showroom.

The Rajarhat area has turned into a new political flashpoint on land acquisition.

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, who had spearheaded land acquisition protests at Singur and Nandigram earlier, took out a large rally last week that traversed some areas of Rajarhat.

Banerjee has alleged that to develop the area into an industrial town, the state government has forcibly taken away 25,000 acres of agricultural land from farmers, most of whom belonged to religious minorities and backward classes

source (http://www.bombaynews.net/story/711118)

Great Eastern Energy eyes Asansol-Howrah pipeline project
Kolkata, Nov. 22

Great Eastern Energy Corporation Ltd (GEECL) is weighing options to participate in the bidding process for 270-km Asansol-Howrah pipeline for evacuation of coal bed methane (CBM).

The Essar Group had earlier expressed its interest to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) in laying the pipeline.

“We are examining the possibilities and are yet to take a view on it,” the GEECL Chairman, Mr Y.K. Modi, told Business Line.

GEECL has already laid a pipeline network between Asansol and Durgapur to supply CBM produced from its Raniganj field to the industrial customers of the area.

Retailing CNG

The company is also retailing compressed natural gas (CNG) through seven auto-fuel retail outlets of IndianOil in the region.

“We are talking to a few other fuel retailers for dispensing CNG through the existing outlets,” Mr Modi said.

In September, the company said that inordinate delay on the part of the West Bengal Government, in either granting approval to the proposed CNG stations or allowing fuel conversion in the auto-rickshaws and other commercial vehicles, was impacting its plans to market clean auto-fuel in Asansol-Durgapur area.

“There has been an improvement in the situation on both fronts since then. However, we are still awaiting the approval for setting up one CNG dispensing unit,” the company official said.

Last week, GEECL's CBM extraction and distribution operations in Asansol were brought to a grinding halt by a group of agitators. The agitators were demanding employment of local people by the security contractor of GEECL.

According to Mr Modi, a group of complete “outsiders” — without any direct or indirect link with the company — had brought the operations to a standstill.

This was despite a prior order from the court to ensure law and order in our installations.

The situation could be brought under control at the intervention of the highest authorities of the State Government.
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2010/11/23/stories/2010112351510300.htm

Cash prop for Bengal project

Mauritius-based Pragnya Fund has put in around $10 million (Rs 45 crore) in two Bengal projects executed by the Paharpur group.

Paharpur has formed a special purpose vehicle with Pragnya called the Paharpur Pragnya Realty Private Ltd in which the local company owns 51 per cent.

The investment conforms to FDI norms, which ensure that funds remain locked in for at least three years.

Paharpur Pragnya will build Genexx Towers at Barrackpore with 1,100 apartments on 11.3 acres. It will come up with another project — Genexx Exotica — comprising 749 apartments on 9.26 acres in Asansol through a wholly-owned subsidiary. The plot is located on GT Road. The project is targeted at upper and middle-income groups. Both the projects will include commercial complexes.

Paharpur also plans to construct a commercial complex of approximately 3,00,000- square-foot in front of the Joka project —Genexx Valley — which still awaits final approval.

Genexx Valley on 21 acres at Joka on the southern fringes of Calcutta is Paharpur’s first major project. The Telegraph

State loses mega project to AP :bash:

Udit Prasanna Mukherji | TNN

Kolkata: Just two days after Infosys finally inked a deal to set up shop in Bengal,the manufacturing industry suffered a jolt with the Nagpur-based Abhijeet Group announcing it was moving out of the state.
The 15,000-crore group has shifted its proposed ferro alloy project from Haldia,some 128km from Kolkata,to Andhra Pradesh because it has not been able to get hold of the land two years after kick-off.
Andhra Pradesh,on the other hand,took only a month to allot them land.Abhijeet Group has already started construction at the new location.The CEO of Haldia Development Authority (HDA),Sharad Dwivedi,however,said he was not aware of this development.
Two years ago,the Tatas had walked out of Singur because of land problems.Even the Bhushan Steel project near Asansol has run into land acquisition problems.Abhijeet Group had planned a 1.15-million-tonne ferro alloy project in Haldia with an investment of over 550 crore.It could have generated 1,000 jobs.
A group firm,Corporate Ispat Alloys (CIAL),is currently operating a ferro alloy plant of 0.074 million tonne capacity backed up by 25MW captive power plants in Durgapur.The Group had also lined up 11,000 crore investment for a steel plant at Barbani near Asansol.It had signed an MoU with WBIDC in 2008 for the project.
However,the mega project was a non-starter due to land problems.Sources in the company said that it requested the HDA in 2008 for 200 acres but the HDA sat over the proposal,prompting the Group to start buying land directly.But in two years,Abhijeet Group could buy only 80-90 acres in Haldia.In 2009,the firm approached the Andhra Pradesh government for land as the project was getting nowhere in Haldia.
Sources say the group could become the largest ferro alloy producer of the country once Abhijeet Ferrotech,which is setting up a facility in Visakhapatnam,starts operation.

That Sinking Feeling

Abhijeet Group had planned a 1.15 million tonne ferro alloy project in Haldia with investment of over 550 crore.Project was to generate 1,000 jobs In 2008,it requested HDA for 200 acres but HDA sat over the proposal prompting the Group to start buying land directly However,in two years Abhijeet Group could buy only 80-90 acres in Haldia In 2009,firm approached Andhra Pradesh government for land.The state took only a month to allot them land.Abhijeet Group has already started construction

VARSITY PROTEST
Stir over Reliance IT park land

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mohanpur (Nadia): Protesting the alleged surreptitious transfer of 42 acre of research land to a private company for an IT park,the Chhatra-Shikshak-Karmachari Joutha Mancha of Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalay organised a rally on Mohanpur campus on Thursday afternoon.
B i sw a n t h Banerjee,convener of the programme,said,The transfer will be a great loss to research work. Determined to prevent such a handover,Rituraj Darnal,students union president,said.We will stop it at any cost. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research reportedly spends crores annually for experiments on the Mondouri Research Farm at Haringhata.
In addition to the rally and a meeting at the administrative building,the protesters submitted a written complaint.The issue has been brought to the notice of agriculture minister
Naren Dey, a senior university official said.
But even as resentment brews over the said land,according to sources,large tracts meant for research in and around Mohanpur have been lying idle since long.
Kalyani is an educational hub and local people want that an IT park should also come up.It will bring in employment and development, said a university official.

^^ reliance IT park???

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lP2m862e5Hw/TPL2btH6FxI/AAAAAAAAAWM/2Cv-qN_-DbA/s512/getimage.png

State loses mega project to AP :bash:

Here's news from July 2010! Vizag construction was already on. TOI seems to be falling behind the Telegraph.

Plan for metal SEZ in Haldia
Monday , July 5 , 2010

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100705/jsp/business/story_12646970.jsp

A subsidiary of Nagpur-based Abhijeet Group has proposed a special economic zone for metal-based industries in Haldia. Coastal Ferrotech — an Abhijeet Group firm — has sought the permission of the board of approval (BoA) for special economic zones to set up an SEZ in Haldia. It plans to acquire 111.28 hectares for the project.

Abhijeet Group officials said land acquisition problems had delayed the Haldia SEZ by more than a year. In the meantime, the group has set up a Rs-800-crore ferro-alloy plant at Atchutapuram SEZ near Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

The Andhra Pradesh project, which the company says is the biggest ferro-manganese and silico-manganese manufacturing facility in Asia, is likely to commence operations in January-February, officials said.

On whether the firm will go ahead with its SEZ plans despite having set up the facility in Andhra Pradesh, they said, “If we are able to acquire the land, then this could be considered. However, we will have to wait for the final decision on the incentives in the tax-free zones to take a call.”

Company website

http://www.abhijeet.in/ferroalloys.html

^^ reliance IT park???

It's probably an educational institution from the Reliance group.

Some news after a long time about the Cals refinery project. Hopefully this project will see light some day soon.

Kharafi Group to invest $150m in West Bengal

http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/kharafi-group-to-invest-150m-in-west-bengal-refinery/117331/on

Kuwait's Kharafi Group will invest $150 million in a 100,000-barrel per day refinery being built by Cals Refineries Ltd in West Bengal.

"Al Qebla Al Watya (an investment vehicle of Kharafi) signed agreements" on November 25 for investing "$150 million through GDR route," Cals Refineries said in a statement to stock exchanges.

Cals, a Spice Energy Holding company, is importing a 90,000-barrel-per-day refinery from Bayernoil, Germany. The old refinery is being dismantled at Ingolstadt on the river Danube, Germany, and shipped to Haldia for reconstruction.

The refinery will become Bengal's second largest oil refinery after the Indian Oil Corporation's existing one in Haldia.

Global energy major BP Plc may supply crude oil to the refinery which needs 2.5 million tons of heavy (high sulphur) crude and a similar supply of light (low sulphur) crude.

Cals plans to export petrol and diesel produced in the Euro-4 complaint refinery. The refinery would also produce jet fuel, LPG and pet coke for the domestic market.

Aegis to invest Rs 30 cr in oil terminal project

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Aegis-to-invest-Rs-430-cr-in-oil-terminal-projects/715106

Leading oil, gas and chemical logistics firm Aegis Logistics Ltd is investing Rs 30 crore in the existing Haldia Port termina by adding an additional 30,000 KL to increase the present capacity of around 55,000 KL,” said Anish Chandaria, managing director and chief executive of Aegis Logistics Ltd.

Jai Balaji ready for Purulia debut
SAMBIT SAHA

Calcutta, Nov. 28: Jai Balaji Group hopes to start work on its Purulia steel plant by early next year as it approaches the financial closure of the first phase.

The company has estimated an initial investment of Rs 1,800 crore to set up a 1-million-tonne (mt) plant within two years.

It has received 1,200 acres in Raghunathpur from the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation and tied up a loan of Rs 1,300 crore mostly from public sector banks. The remaining Rs 500 crore will come in as promoter equity.

“We hope to achieve financial closure of the first phase by next month once our board approves the borrowing terms and conditions. Work on the ground will start by January-February,” a senior official of Jai Balaji said.

If the plan materialises, the homegrown firm, which operates facilities in Durgapur and Raniganj, will be the first among the 14 big-ticket metal investment proposals in Bengal — Videocon, Kalyani, Bhushan, Vedanta are among others — to take off. Sajjan Jindal’s JSW Bengal Steel has promised to start construction from April.

Jai Balaji plans to put up an electric arc furnace to produce sponge iron and roll it to billets in the first phase. The company will also set up a 75-mega-watt (MW) waste heat recovery plant. Associated infrastructure such as a railway siding and water pipeline will also be built.

The company had signed an agreement with the state government in October 2007 to build a 5mt steel plant, 1,215MW thermal power plant and 3mt cement plant at a total investment of Rs 16,500 crore. The company hopes to meet such capacities in phases and has asked for 4,000 acres.

It has been allotted four coal mines in Bengal by the West Bengal Mineral Development and Trading Corporation and the central coal ministry.

Jai Balaji expects to start production from some of the mines within two years. It will then build a power plant to fire the electric arc furnace and sell the excess to the state government for distribution.

A company official said they might also set up a blast furnace once they managed to get a coking coal mine. Blast furnace, where coal is charged, helps to enlarge production capacities compared with electric furnace.
http://telegraphindia.com/1101129/jsp/business/story_13233843.jsp

It's probably an educational institution from the Reliance group.

Yes
I heard few years ago ,like ADAG will set up "Anil Dhirubhai Institute of Information Technology".
And you know our efficient media.
They can portray it as a IT Park,coz that will make news headlines smart and shiney.:lol:

Encouraging news from Cals,Aegis and Jai Balaji.Hope there are no more hurdles in their path.Too bad abhijeet group had to move out.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lP2m862e5Hw/TPRgvLTM80I/AAAAAAAAAWg/aJxF1E8QB6c/s640/untitled.JPG

Source: The Telegraph (http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIKM/2010/11/30&PageLabel=6&ForceGif=true&EntityId=Ad00600&ViewMode=HTML&GZ=T)

Durgapur: Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee showcased his government’s growth curve at meetings in Durgapur and Burdwan on Monday, contrasting it with the “destabilising forces” — read Trinamool Congress and Maoists — that have been pulling the state down.
Bhattacharjee reached Durgapur first to inaugurate the Rs 20 crore IT park set up by Webel on 2.2 acres at Palasdiha. “We have started late in IT, but our progress is quite satisfactory,” he said. “About one lakh people work in the IT sector in and around Sector V. Another one lakh will be employed in Durgapur, Kharagpur, Siliguri and Haldia IT Parks in the years to come.”
The theme of industrialisation was taken up again by Bhattacharjee at a DYFI meeting in Burdwan in the afternoon. “After our progress in agriculture, we were on the path of industrialisation but were forced to slow down by the pressure from the Opposition, namely Trinamool. But we will not bow down to their pressure and will push ahead with industrialisation,” he said.
“They are trying to destabilse the government and trying to set fire everywhere. They will not allow to develop roads, bridges, power plants, industries or anything else,” he claimed. He reminded the public of the political situation in the state in 1970-71, he said. “How much had the state progressed during the regime of Siddhartha Shankar Ray?” Bhattacharjee asked.
The CM also touched upon Maoist violence. “In Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapore they have joined hands with the Maoists. Now they are trying to create trouble across the state. People of Burdwan should be alert and defend themselves against Maoists,” he said. “We are trying to wipe out Maoists from the state but they are providing oxygen,” he said.
He said how there has been no major violence in Burdwan since 1997, when the Left Front came to power. But on October 26 this year, Trinamool men clashed with police after a road accident, running riot in the town, he alleged. “In fact, Congress’ violence in ’70s is being replicated by Trinamool now.”

Durgapur has a potential to be a big IT city.

Leave Durgapour as steel city and not a IT city. It has unique infrastructure to be a Ruhr of India!

Durgapur has a potential to be a big IT city.

^^I agree. Let them start small and try to bring in small-mid sized companies operating out of Kolkata and then go from there.

@arijeet I agree durgapur was and always will be a city of heavy industries.

A few days back i was checking out durgapur on google maps.Man i was impressed by the level of planning in this city.The chandigarh of the east,and the number of industries is amazing too.
With expansion of current projects and others like Matrix fertilizers,this will expand.But IT has got a good chance because of excellent infrastructure,good educated population,lots of colleges.
Sort of like Pune where industries and IT both play a huge part of the cities economy.

^^ Durgapur could easily become more prosperous than today's Hyderabad or Pune. But thanks to useless left govt under Mr Basu :bash:

West Bengal to spend 30 cr on tourism promotion

Following states like Kerala, Rajasthan , Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat , now West Bengal Tourism Department will appoint an advertising agency for a 10 crore brand-building exercise , and spend another 20 crore to upgrade destinations and create new circuits. and promotional campaigns.

State tourism minister Manabendra Mukherjee said potential consultants would be asked to present strategies.
Interestingly , West Bengal has only three accredited tour operators as compared to Delhi's 285 operators!

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/features/et-travel/West-Bengal-to-spend-30-cr-on-tourism-promotion/articleshow/7026876.cms

West Bengal to spend 30 cr on tourism promotion
Interestingly , West Bengal has only three accredited tour operators as compared to Delhi's 285 operators!


:bash:

State plans biotech hub in Sector V

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolkata: After wooing the IT companies,the West Bengal government is now trying to rope in biotechnology companies in the state and to a c c o m p l i s h that,it has planned to set up a biotechnology hub in Salt Lake Sector V.
Tender for the sprawling 1.5 lakh square feet biotech hub had been floated,but the state government is yet to allocate the construction order to any company.
We will give the work order by next month.The project will take two years to complete, states IT minister Debesh Das said.
The other biotech parks on the anvil in the state are Biotechnology Knowledge Park in Haringhata,Jagadish Chandra Bose Biotechnology Park in Madhyamgram,Biotechnology Park in Kharagpur,Ekta Incubator Centre in Salt Lake,Biotechnology Park in Dabgram and Biotechnology Park in SDF Building,Salt Lake.

@arijeet I agree durgapur was and always will be a city of heavy industries.

A few days back i was checking out durgapur on google maps.Man i was impressed by the level of planning in this city.The chandigarh of the east,and the number of industries is amazing too.
With expansion of current projects and others like Matrix fertilizers,this will expand.But IT has got a good chance because of excellent infrastructure,good educated population,lots of colleges.
Sort of like Pune where industries and IT both play a huge part of the cities economy.

If you want to see another planned township in Bengal please take a look at Chittaranjan. It looks very nice from satelite!

Yes sabya i saw that too!Chittaranjan looks brilliant too!

Yes
I heard few years ago ,like ADAG will set up "Anil Dhirubhai Institute of Information Technology".
And you know our efficient media.
They can portray it as a IT Park,coz that will make news headlines smart and shiney.:lol:

Yeah it is the Ambani Institute and not some IT Park. I think it is Trinamool Congress's official policy now to oppose all development projects that have links with the Left Front run Government. Even the IIT campus in New Town is stuck because some "farmers" are opposed to it. The other day "farmers" went on a rampage against the DPS School in New Town. We can probably guess who are the actual people behind these "farmers".

Land row now hits proposed Reliance institute in Bengal

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/land-row-now-hits-proposed-reliance-institute-in-bengal/719755/2

A land row is threatening yet another Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee project in West Bengal. Last week, a group of students, teachers and the non-teaching staff of Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswabidyalaya (BCKV), some of them owing allegiance to the Trinamool Congress, removed boundary pillars at the proposed site of the Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology, about 50 km from Kolkata.

When officials of the land department went to take measurements last week, four years after the MoU was signed, BCKV students and staff protested and removed the boundary pillars.

University Registrar Ashok Banerjee told The Indian Express that they had sent a November 26 resolution of the BCKV Executive Council to the state government, requesting it to spare the land that is now being used for farming.

A state government officer, however, said the BCKV was wrong in claiming the land as its own. “The land belonged to the Animal Resources Development (ARD) and was later handed over to the land department. After this, the land was handed over to the company, which sometime back applied for change of character for setting up the institute.”


The Trinamool says they will take a decision on their next course of agitation in a day or two. “We are against acquisition of agricultural land for other purposes. We will sit in a day or two to decide,” Jyotipriya Mullick, Trinamool MLA of neighbouring Gaighata, said.

Bengal coal block for Shyam Sel

Bengal has offered a coal block to local investor Shyam Sel Ltd after the company dragged the state to court on the grounds of lack of transparency in the allocation of mines.

The state government has agreed to give the Trans Damodar underground block to the company, which has signed an MoU with it to build a 1.1-million-tonne steel plant and a 1000-mega-watt power plant at Jamuria, Burdwan.

The authorities had last offered coal mines in 2007 when local investor Jai Balaji Group and India’s largest private steel maker — JSW Steel — bagged five blocks among themselves.

Since then a number of local and national players such as Kalyani Steel, Videocon, Vedanta and Shyam Steel have been waiting to get blocks — the prime reason for these investors to come calling in Bengal.

However, the Centre has not allocated any coal mine to Bengal since the end of 2007 and hence, the state cannot offer any to the industry.

The block given to Shyam Sel with reserves of around 40 million tonnes is believed to be small compared with what Jai Balaji and JSW Steel have got. Incidentally, this block was kept for a high-profile speciality steel maker from western India. Shyam Sel, which is still pursuing the court case, has neither accepted the offer nor rejected it. ............. The Telegraph

Asansol pipeline lures trio

Essar Oil, Great Eastern Energy Corporation Ltd and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation are keen to bid for the Asansol-Howrah gas pipeline project. The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) is expected to invite bids for the project later this month.

The 270-km pipeline will transport gas from coal bed methane (CBM) blocks in Bengal. The PNGRB had recently invited bids for the 1,700-km Surat-Paradip pipeline.

According to sources in the board, the three firms, holding stakes in the CBM blocks in the region, have expressed interest in the pipeline. Y.K. Modi, chairman of Great Eastern Energy, said the firm would positively consider the opportunities in the region, while a senior ONGC official said it could open up a new revenue stream.

Great Eastern and ONGC did not say whether they would bid alone or in a joint venture with firms such as GAIL (India) Ltd, which has expertise in pipeline construction.

The Asansol-Howrah pipeline will connect the entire CBM producing zones in Jharkhand and Bengal to the consumption centres in the Calcutta region.

An extension of the pipeline may reach Haldia, the proposed terminal point of the Kakinada-Haldia trunk pipeline of Reliance.

Officials said most of the pipelines were concentrated in the north and west, leaving south and eastern India largely untouched.

India is planning to expand its network over the next two to three years. The present natural gas transportation infrastructure in the country is around 10,800 km with capacity to carry 270 million standard cubic metres of gas per day (mmscmd).

“Major pipeline projects are underway, which will add another 7,450 km and 248mmscmd to our gas transport infrastructure. The additional capacity will result in the distribution of natural gas to 200 cities,” oil ministry officials said.

Calcutta, Haldia, Burdwan and Durgapur are some of the cities in Bengal that will have city gas. Discoveries by Reliance Industries in the Krishna-Godavari basin have almost doubled the availability of gas.

At present, around 40 cities and towns are covered by piped gas network. Piped natural gas in more big cities and metros will help to divert LPG supplies to rural areas.

A report by global consultancy firm McKinsey said the current demand of 166mmscmd is likely to rise to a minimum of 230mmscmd and a maximum of 320mmscmd by 2015. The Telegraph

States first green campus in the offing

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolkata: Go green.Thats the mantra being harped on by all educational institutes,old and new.In a scenario where new campuses are chasing salubrious environs and old ones are upping their verdant factor,the Indian Institute of Science,Engineering and Research (IISER) is ready to raise the bar at it upcoming campus at Haringhata.
Not only will the campus at IISER run by the ministry of human resource development be completely green,it will also be the first in the state,perhaps in the country as well,that will be a part of Griha,an initiative of the ministry of environment for campuses built following environment protection norms.
Planned according to a green design submitted by architects Suresh Goyel and Associates Consortium,the campus will be built at a cost of 500 crore,which has already been sanctioned by the ministry.An IIT-Kharagpur alumnus of the 1960 batch,Goyel has already created ripples with his designs at IIT-Guwahati and the newly laid out expansion plans for his alma mater,that is gearing up to double its intake over the next five years.
Four major waterbodies inside the 250-acre tract off NH-34 will not only be left intact but will be developed into nature parks by geo-scientists and wetland experts.The campus will be designed to have only 10 to 15% built-up space.There are only 200 students now but once the campus is ready over the next two years,there will be a 10-time increase in intake.
The campus has been planned in such a way that there will be just one central tower a 10-storeyed highrise housing libraries,computer centres and administrative offices.There will be no building over three storeys to disturb the natural look of the place.Looking beyond lectures confined to classrooms,director Sushanta Duttagupta said,If things go according to plans,some of lectures may be held in the open,keeping up the tradition that Tagore had so imaginatively started.
None of the buildings here,apart from the central tower,will have airconditioning.The architects have designed the campus in such a way that there will be optimum utilization of the cool breeze that blows in from the Yamuna canal a two-kilometre-long waterbody that runs along the boundary wall.An ancient technique of trapping the free-flowing breeze within the buildings will be used,making airconditioning unnecessary, Duttagupta said.
Solar power will be used to power a large part of the campus and rainwater will be harvested.No automobile will be allowed inside to keep it pollution-free and faculty,students,staff and visitors will either have to walk or ride the bicycle.An approach road has been built with three entry points just outside the boundary wall where all fuelpowered vehicles will have to be parked.
The campus will,however,have ultramodern facilities comparable with that of international campuses.There will be a complex housing lecture laboratories,theatres and an auditorium,fitted with modern acoustics to hold at least 1,000 people in the audience.Also,theme food parks adjacent to hostels and faculty residences have been designed along with health centres,complete with gym with sauna and swimming pools.A hospital with all modern facilities will be built.There will also be a modern sports complex,complete with a stadium that will provide basic facilities for all kinds of popular sports.
Since we will be at least 65 km away from the heart of city,the campus has been planned to make it selfsufficient.Well also have a school (Kendriya Vidyalaya),a modern shopping centre and an adjacent entertainment zone, Duttagupta added.

NTPC to run Santaldih unit

Debjoy Sengupta ET KOLKATA
NTPC will acquire the Santaldih Thermal Power Station (STPS) of the West Bengal Power Development Corp (WBPDCL) and invest Rs 8,000 crore in setting up two new 800-mw power stations through a joint venture at the location.It will give the state utility a 26% stake in lieu of the assets,including land and the existing 250-mw units that is running and a similar unit being set up.
We have received a letter from the West Bengal government who now wants us to take over the existing units of STPS as well as set up new generation units there.NTPC will be running the new as well as the existing units there.Power generated from the existing as well as the new units will be supplied to the state, an NTPC official said.
A team of officials have already inspected the Santaldih plant and found it suitable to build two new units there.
Confirming the development,a senior WBPDCL official said: We have enough land at STPS to set up additional units.We intend to hand over NTPC the existing units one 250 mw which is already running and another of similar capacity that is expected to commence commercial generation soon.
There are four 120-mw units at Santaldih that have outlived and are lying idle.These four units were set up before 1978.NTPC intends to scrap these units and set up additional units there.These details,however,are yet to be worked out later.

212 acres for CRPF camps

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolkata: The state government will hand over 212 acres to the CRPF in West Midnapore where it will set up four new camps along with a specialised training centre for its COBRA battalion.
The camps will be located at Bhadutala,Narayanpur,Tinsol and Rangamati and the COBRA battalion at Salboni in the Maoist-affected district.
An office for a CRPF DIG will also be set up in West Midnapore,officials said.
The decision to hand over the land to CRPF was taken at a meeting IG CRPF T B Rao held on Friday with state chief secretary Samar Ghosh,home secretary G D Gautama and land secretary R D Meena.

FREE TREATMENT
Hospital hope for Sunderbans poor

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolkata: It held out hope for thousands of poor patients on the southern fringes of the city when it was set up in 1996.Those without access to basic healthcare received free treatment,surgery and medicine.Humanity Hospital at Thakurpukur,a unique initiative launched by the mother-son duo of Subhashini Mistry and her doctor son Ajoy Mistry,is set to venture deeper into the outbacks of South 24-Parganas through a unit at Lahiripur in the Sunderbans.Construction work is on in full swing and the hospital is expected to be functional in three years.
It will cater to around 2 lakh people who have no treatment facility other than a few defunct government health centres and small private clinics that are grossly inadequate.We shall have a team of 20 doctors attending to patients over the weekend to begin with.The Lahiripur unit will have 25 beds across 10 departments and will offer treatment free of charge, said Mistry who had taken up medicine to realize her mothers dream of setting up a free hospital for the poor.Subhashini Mistry,who saw her husband die without treatment,saved money earned by selling vegetables on the pavement for the hospital.
Humanity now runs a clinic at Lahiripur.The new unit will have three storeys and spread across 1000 sq ft.We shall have medicine,gynaecology,skin,orthopaedic,ophthalmology,ENT,dentistry and urology departments.Our consultants at the Thakurpukur hospital will be spending the weekend there.Sunderbans has never had so many doctors from Kolkata treating patients there.It will be a big step in healthcare for the region and we are keeping our fingers crossed, said Mistry.
Meanwhile,the Thakurpukur hospital has introduced paying beds to reach out to those who cant bear the cost of treatment.We have started charging Rs 100 per day from those who can pay.For the rest,we continue to provide free treatment.Soon,we shall have 50 additional beds that will include both paying and free ones.Unless we charge the relatively affluent patients,we cant serve those who cant pay, explained Mistry.
The new unit will depend entirely on the volume of donations that flow in,he added.We have started approaching donors who have already extended support.Obviously,we need more funds.It will be difficult or else we wouldnt have set a target of three years to start the hospital.But we shall go ahead, Mistry said.
Hardships have never bothered the Mistrys.When Subhashini lost her husband and pledged to build a hospital,she had four children to look after.She sold vegetables on the pavement,got her children educated and saved her hard-earned money for her dream hospital.

States first green campus in the offing

The mistakes/misinformation as usual for Times of India group.

There is nothing called "Indian Institute of Science,Engineering and Research (IISER)" the correct name is Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Institutes_of_Science_Education_and_Research

Plea to ground Andal airport city
A consortium of steel makers, including ArcelorMittal-promoted Uttam Galva, has taken the Bengal government to court seeking an order to cancel the airport city project at Andal, Burdwan or shift it elsewhere.

In its petition, the consortium said around 7 square kilometre surface area of a mine allocated to it by the Centre, in concurrence with the Bengal government, fell within the airport city project undertaken by private developer Bengal Aerotropolis Projects (BAPL), where Singapore’s Changi owns a 26 per cent stake.

It has argued that around 700 million tonnes of coal will be lost if the project comes up and hence sought court direction to stop work.

Justice Jayanta Biswas did not pass any interim order before hearing out all the parties, especially the Central government, which has also been made party to the case. The matter will come up for hearing next Monday.

The six members of the consortium are Calcutta-based Adhunik Metaliks, Ramsarup Industries, Howrah Gases, Vikas Metal & Ispat and national players such as ACC and Uttam Galva. The Centre has allotted the Moira Madhujore (north & south) coal block to it.

Incidentally, the majority of the companies in the consortium intend to use the coal from the mine for plants outside Bengal.

The West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation — made a party in the case — has already provided around 1,800 acres to BAPL, one of the most successful instances where a large tract of land was acquired for industry without much resistance. It requires another 300 acres for the first phase and 1,000 acres more for the second phase.

BAPL has appointed Simplex Infrastructure to build the airport, which is slated to come up by April 2012, assuming the present case is resolved fast.

The airport will be a regional one, designed to handle aircraft such as Airbus 320/319 and Boeing 737.

The petition filed by the consortium alleged that only 800 odd acres would be used for the airport and the rest for social and industrial infrastructure, which can be done elsewhere. The Telegraph

Jivo plant in Kalyani soon

Jivo Wellness, that sales canola oil, will set up a packaging plant in Kalyani. The construction work for the same is expected to begin in January.
It already has a packaging plant in Delhi. “Investment for the Kalyani plant will be to the tune of 10 crore. We have purchased land for it and early next year the plant should be ready,” Ravinderpal Singh Kohli, managing director of Jivo Wellness said during the launch of Jivo Canola cooking oil in the city. At present, the company has half a million litre bottling capacity in Delhi, to which it plans to add another half a million. Entire canola oil that the company sales is imported from Canada. TNN

Power plant ball lobbed to Centre court

Calcutta, Dec. 6: Caught in the middle of a deepening fiscal crunch and an anti-land acquisition agitation, the state government is apparently trying to shift the onus of building a power plant in Burdwan’s Katwa to the Centre.

The state power department and its production utility, the West Bengal Power Development Corporation (WBPDCL), were originally the primary promoters of the project. But now, the state government is in talks with the Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (Bhel) and the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) for either of the two to play the lead role in the venture.

The WBPDCL, however, will not withdraw completely from the project. Power department sources said a partnership with either the NTPC or Bhel was being worked out.

A senior official of the power department said: “The WBPDCL will no longer be the primary promoter. But the state utility will have a role to play. The terms and conditions for the partnership are still being negotiated.”

State power secretary Moloy De said a decision would be taken “before the end of this month”.

The proposed 1,600MW plant was supposed to start generating power by 2015.

The project, for which 1,033 acres has been earmarked, ran into stiff resistance from 4,600 land losers, who have organised themselves under the umbrella of the Trinamul Congress-backed Save Farmland Cultivators and Agricultural Workers Committee.

For the first stage of the project, 350 acres had been acquired and the process of taking over the rest is under way.

Despite the chief minister’s repeated pledges of completing the project, the state government had to “seriously mull” the option of shifting it to Murshidabad’s Sagardighi in 2008 when anti-land acquisition protests intensified.

However, in April this year, state power minister Nirupam Sen announced that the government would go ahead with the plant.

Bengal’s financial crisis added to the problem. With a debt burden of Rs 1.96 lakh crore forcing the state government to tighten its purse and cut corners, the WBPDCL is now in no position to shell out its contribution to the Rs 8,000-crore project, sources said.

A power department official said: “The investment is to be made in a debt-equity ratio of 7:3. This means the WBPDCL was to invest Rs 2,400 crore and raise the remaining Rs 5,600 crore through loans from financial institutions. Given the present financial condition, Rs 2,400 crore is not an easy ask for a state government agency.”

Besides, De said, “the super-critical technology needed for the thermal power plant is something Bhel or the NTPC can offer right away”.

source (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1101207/jsp/bengal/story_13268308.jsp)

OMG!!! see the amount of debt of WB govt. :bash:

State seeks ADB fund for road plan

Project To Cover 271 Km Of Two-Lane Roads

Atmadip Ray ET KOLKATA


AFTER being rejected by World Bank,the West Bengal government has sought funds from Asian Development Bank (ADB) for a road project worth Rs 2,270 crore.The department of economic affairs has cleared the proposal from West Bengal and forwarded it to ADB for project planning and technical assistance.The project will cover 271 km of two-lane roads.
The World Bank has rejected the proposal as the state government is not keen to bear the project preparation cost,which would be merely around Rs 12 crore.The state is desperately trying to save cost even if it is development expenditure as it is facing a Rs 1.76 lakh crore outstanding market debt.While ADB has a provision to offer funds for project preparation as a grant,World Bank has no such system.
The new plan would reduce travelling time be-tween North and South Bengal, said Malay Ghosh,director with project im-plementation unit for ADB-funded road projects in the state.The multilateral agency already has an expo-sure close to $79 million to the states road sector.
We are hopeful that ADB would find the new project viable and provide financial assistance, Mr Ghosh said.
The proposal assumes im-portance for the state as it would connect three major national highways in the state and is expected to ease traffic between Murshidabad in the north and Purba Medinipur in the south.It will connect NH 34 at Moregram in Murshidabad,NH 2 in Bardhaman and NH 6 at Mechhogram near Kolaghat.At present,the state is im-plementing a corridor development project for which ADB had sanctioned $79 million loan way back in 2001.The project,covers 232 km of state highways as well as rural approach roads.The project was supposed to be completed by June 2007 but got delayed because of poor performance of contractors.The officials at states public works depart-ment said that 90% of the project is now completed and it would be over by June 2011.
The delay in project im-plementation should not impact the prospect of get-ting another loan from ADB as the agency was aware of the poor performance of contractors.The tender was invited after meeting all criteria laid down by ADB, Mr Ghosh said.

This debt situation of west bengal is very worrying.As it is development expenditure is so low oon top of that with such huge debt future projects will ground to a halt now!

source (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1101207/jsp/bengal/story_13268308.jsp)

OMG!!! see the amount of debt of WB govt. :bash:

Estimated debt and population from Rediff (http://business.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/jul/28/slide-show-1-indias-most-debt-ridden-states.htm)

UP - Rs 221,000 crore / 19 crore
Maharashtra - Rs 208,000 crore / 9.6 crore
West Bengal - Rs 192,000 crore / 9.03 crore
Andhra Pradesh - Rs 126,000 crore / 7.6 crore
MP - Rs 56,250 crore / 6.03 crore
Odisha - Rs 49,003.92 crore / 3.67 crores
Karanataka - Rs 66,000 crore / 5.28 crore
Kerala - Rs 65,000 crore / 3.18 crore
Bihar - Rs 45,580.16 crore / 9.4 crore

This is a good read of the myths and facts about west bengal.

Despite its slackening industry, the common perception of West Bengal as a backward state has little substance when one looks at the facts


Most of us are conditioned to view economic development in terms of industrialisation. While industrialisation is essential for economic transformation, it is not as if economic growth is not possible without it. The sectoral structure of India's gross domestic product (GDP) and its slow transformation makes a good case study. The share of industry in India's GDP has hardly moved, even when the economy was growing at almost twice the "Hindu rate of growth" as was the case in most of the last two decades.

At a regional level, we can see this taking place in West Bengal. Despite its obviously slackening pace of industrialisation, in the post reforms period West Bengal has racked up the fastest rate of economic growth in India, both in terms of GDP as well as per capita income. Now juxtapose this fact, evidenced by official statistics put out by the Government of India against the huge investments in industry taking place in states such as Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, and we are left with a startling picture of a state whose onetime industrial primacy many think is now a fading memory actually ahead of the big industrialising states. But since we cannot grasp what we cannot see — after all new factories and five star hotels are the only visible proof of development most of us accept — people castigate the Communist Party of India (Marxist) led government for what it has done to West Bengal. This is only perception and not reality.

The facts are that after 1993-94 West Bengal has the highest growth rate of 8.55 per cent with second placed Karnataka's 7.29 per cent well behind it. It would also seem that the Marxist rate of growth has been better than the Hindu rate of growth since India only grew at 6.87 per cent during this period.

Even in terms of growth of per capita income, West Bengal has fared much better than all other states during the post-reforms era. It achieved an average growth of 5.5 per cent after 1993-94 as opposed to the nationwide growth of 4.3 per cent. This is even more revealing considering that during this period West Bengal was also racking up an average annual population growth of 1.78 per cent between 1991 and 2001, which is much higher than the rate of the high achievers like Tamil Nadu (1.11 per cent). If one were to consider the population growth since 1981, West Bengal grew at 2.34 per cent, which is uncomfortably close to the national average of 2.51 per cent. Undoubtedly, the seemingly uncontrollable and unabated migration from Bangladesh has contributed to this relatively high growth of population. Whatever the reasons for this, we can only surmise that the rise in par capita incomes would have been even higher if there was no influx from neighbouring countries like Nepal and Bangladesh, and even neighbouring states like Bihar and Orissa.

Even more interesting is the fact that the per capita incomes of West Bengal and Maharashtra, after excluding the two great metros of Mumbai and Kolkata, are fairly close. West Bengal's per capita income, after excluding Kolkata, is Rs 12,671 while Maharashtra's without Mumbai is Rs 13, 897. Thus, even if we accept for a moment that West Bengal has a Marxist system, its performance is not too bad compared to what then must be the most laissez-faire of our states — Maharashtra. We can be certain that if the per capita incomes of other two big cities of Maharashtra — Pune and Nagpur — are excluded, its per capita income will be below that of West Bengal.

This performance is quite extraordinary when one factors in the dominant reality of rural West Bengal in that it ranks third from the bottom in terms of irrigated acreage with only 28.1 per cent of its agricultural land irrigated. This is when it is the third most densely agricultural state in India with almost 77 per cent of its land area under the plough. If like Punjab or Haryana, with 89.72 per cent and 65.0 per cent respectively of agricultural acreage irrigated, West Bengal too were to benefit from centrally financed irrigation and centrally subsidised procurement, it would be fair to assume that its economic performance would have been even higher.

Between 1984 and 2001, industrial capital investment in West Bengal only increased fourfold when it grew by more than seven times in the rest of India. This also coincided with the decline in the value addition of West Bengal industry from 8.8 per cent in 1984-5 to 4.0 per cent in 2000-1. During the same period the number of industries in the state was almost static — 5,369 to 6,091 — when the number grew from almost 97,000 to almost 131,000 for India. Even worse was that during this period the numbers employed in the organised industrial sector in West Bengal declined by almost half, from 917,000 to about 456,000.

Quite clearly, all has not been well with West Bengal and the slackening pace of industrialization, flight of capital and prolonged industrial unrest has taken its toll. But the question that still remains is whether this would have been any better under a public administration vested with any other political party. The effect of Partition on the commerce and industry of eastern India is well known. This was followed by the developments in technology and market preferences that made many traditional products like jute obsolete. An even bigger reason for the blight that settled over the one time industrial heartland of India were economic policies inspired by vague notions of socialism. The most pernicious of these was the freight equalisation policy of the Government of India with regard to steel and coal that lasted over three decades from 1956 to 1992. This neutralised the benefit of proximity and eastern India's main competitive advantage. This gave the engineering industry little incentive to stay around Calcutta and production inevitably shifted to areas closer to the markets. Thus, if we have to accept that Marxist notions on economic equalisation dearly cost West Bengal, it was not the doing of the Communists in West Bengal.

It is not that the Communists did not have a role to play in the industrial decline of West Bengal. Their contribution to militant union activity is well known. Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya himself has been very candid about this when he admitted to a Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) gathering: "Yes, it's true that we have committed mistakes and have been irresponsible. You have heard of the word gherao, which means surrounding the management. It is now part of the English dictionary." MSN Encarta defines it as a transitive verb and noun meaning "surrounding somebody as protest; to surround and virtually imprison an official, employer and/or manager." Often these gheraos and the more traditional forms of industrial action ended up in violence resulting in a flight of capital from West Bengal. Worse, this kind of militancy led to competitive militancy and now trade unions affiliated to all other political parties make similar demands and use similar methods. This has made all our trade unions more comfortable with state ownership with the obvious attendant benefits of assured salaries and assured pay increases, full tenures, and annual bonuses, without any relation to productivity and corporate health. When an industry was rendered sick it was inevitably taken over by the government to protect jobs and not so much to contribute to the economy. Examples abound all over the country, but West Bengal typified it.

The consequences of this are clear to see. There were 6,091 factories in West Bengal in 2001 with as many as 252 deemed sick. This implies a sickness rate of 4.14 per cent for West Bengal when it is 2.54 per cent for India. By comparison, in industrially better-developed states like Maharashtra, the sickness rate is 3.30 per cent; and for Tamil Nadu it is just 1.54 per cent. The picture gets even gloomier for small scale industry (SSI) units. Of the 249,630 sick SSI units in India, no less than 113,846 or 45.6 per cent are in West Bengal. This picture would not be complete unless we relate this to the number of mill closures. In 2001, no mill was shut down in West Bengal when 151 were shut down all over the country, with Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh accounting for the most with 43 and 39 respectively. The question that still remains is whether this would have been the picture if eastern India did not suffer the precipitous economic decline it did after Partition and due to the now obviously questionable policies of the Government of India. But we know for certain that economic decline contributes as much to union militancy as competitive irresponsible trade unionism.

This industrial decline in West Bengal has had a profound impact on the structure of the state's economy. Much like for all of India where the share of agriculture as a percentage of GDP declined from 33.43 per cent in 1993-94 to 26.28 per cent in 2001-02, in West Bengal the decline was almost similar, from 33.84 per cent in 1993-94 to 27.36 per cent in 2001-02. The big change is visible in the share of the manufacturing sector. This sector's share grew from 23.68 per cent in 1993-94 to 24.36 per cent in 2001-02. However, in West Bengal it declined from 23.02 per cent in 1993-94 to 21.68 per cent in 2001-02, a decline of 1.34 per cent in percentage share. Since the services sector share in West Bengal grew by 7.81 per cent during this period — for India it was 6.54 per cent — it would seem that West Bengal was moving more speedily towards becoming a post-industrial society without having been even close to becoming industrialised.

Concurrent with its industrial decline is the relatively poor performance of its power sector. That West Bengal is deemed to be "surplus" in power and with the West Bengal State Electricity Board (WBSEB) earning as much as Rs 600 crore in 2004 by selling power to neighbouring states is another matter. It gives us the perception of a thriving power sector, but the reality is otherwise. While India generated an additional 43.75 per cent of electricity in 2001-02 over 1993-94, West Bengal lagged behind with an increase of 38.64 per cent. One reason could be the proximity of Orissa, which taking advantage of its huge coal resources and a very supportive central government ramped up generation by 118.7 per cent during the same period.

But in terms of increase in per capita consumption of electricity, which is a better indicator of how a state is faring, West Bengal with an increase in consumption by 38.11 per cent remained pretty close to the national increase of 40.21%. In Orissa, by comparison, consumption only increased by 30.84 per cent, while in the other neighbouring state of Bihar it was 27.97 per cent. While West Bengal did fairly in terms of consumption, it was well behind in terms of electrification of villages. At the end of 2002 only 78.17 per cent of its villages were electrified, while the coverage for India was 86.65 per cent. At this point of time eight states (Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab and Tamil Nadu) have almost complete coverage. In terms of this indicator West Bengal has remained pretty close to the other states in the region — Assam 77.04 per cent, Bihar 71.02 per cent, and Orissa 74.97 per cent. As rural electrification is still in general commercially unviable and hence is invariably centrally supported, this quite clearly suggests a neglect of the eastern region as a whole.

When the CPI-M led coalition came to power in West Bengal in 1977 the incidence of poverty in the state was 60.52 per cent, well above the national below poverty line (BPL) level of 51.32 per cent. In 1999-2000 these were 27.02 per cent and 26.1 per cent respectively. This means that while those below BPL decreased by 55.35 per cent in West Bengal, in all of India the decline was 49.22 per cent. West Bengal's BPL level is the lowest in the eastern region with the levels of Assam (36.09 per cent), Bihar (42.6 per cent) and Orissa (47.15 per cent) remaining well above the national level. The performance of West Bengal is comparable to that of Maharashtra where the comparable decline from 1977-78 to 1999-2000 was 55.28 per cent to 25.02 per cent or a decline in incidence of 55.22 per cent.

When one relates this performance of West Bengal and Maharashtra, the former having fared dismally in terms of industrial expansion while the latter was a star on this account, perhaps those who influence policies in this country will be able to distinguish reality from perceptions.

The author is Chairperson of the Centre for Policy Alternatives, New Delhi and former advisor to the finance minister, Government of India.

BETTING BIG
Gapcon signs land pact with WBIIDC

TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Kolkata: Gapcon,a German engineering firm,has signed lease agreement for land with WBIIDC for the first phase of its proposed project in Kalyani.The German firm will set up a paper finishing machinery unit in the state,which it claims would be the first of its kind in India.
It may be noted that WBIIDC had roped in Gapcon by allotting land in just three weeks,which was earlier reported in ToI.Now,the company has manufacturing base near Dusseldorf in Germany.Besides,allotting land to Gapcon,WBIIDC has kept 15 acres for ancillary units of the German firm.The state industry minister Nirupam Sen said the firm would require ancillary units in future.
Gapcon MD,Wolfgang Wiertz said they never expected such fast response in Bengal.Gapcon is investing 10 crore in the first phase and would employ 45-50 people.The plant will be operational by October 2011.Wiertz indicated that in future,the city facility would become the hub for its Asian operations.
We might supply to other Asian markets from India.The company has started a representative office in China but Kolkata facility would be our only production facility in Asia now, he added.

Estimated debt and population from Rediff (http://business.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/jul/28/slide-show-1-indias-most-debt-ridden-states.htm)

UP - Rs 221,000 crore / 19 crore
Maharashtra - Rs 208,000 crore / 9.6 crore
West Bengal - Rs 192,000 crore / 9.03 crore
Andhra Pradesh - Rs 126,000 crore / 7.6 crore
MP - Rs 56,250 crore / 6.03 crore
Odisha - Rs 49,003.92 crore / 3.67 crores
Karanataka - Rs 66,000 crore / 5.28 crore
Kerala - Rs 65,000 crore / 3.18 crore
Bihar - Rs 45,580.16 crore / 9.4 crore

only problems are with UP and WB because maha gets lot of FDI

http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/1006/image001jrx.jpg

Bengal gets ‘all is well’ certificate from RBI on financial crisis

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday stood by the West Bengal government which has been consistently on the backfoot over the reported financial crisis. RBI Governor D Subbarao, who met Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee at the Writers’ Buildings on Wednesday, said the state was not facing any financial crisis.
“There is no financial crisis in the state. The state government is just accessing facilities (extended by the RBI),” Subbarao told mediapersons after meeting the chief minister. State Minister for Finance Asim Dasgupta, who was also present at the meeting, said the main issues discussed were opening of new branches in villages that have population of more than 2,000, regulating the Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs) and increasing the Credit Deposit Ratio (CDR).

“In West Bengal, there are 7,486 villages with more than 2,000 population but without any bank branches. We have set a target of 2,581 villages where we will set up bank branches by March 31, 2011. By the end of September this year, we have been able to set up branches in 324 villages. We will have to accelerate our pace of work,” said Dasgupta. He said out of 2,581 new branches, 125 will be housed in concrete buildings and remaining 2,456 will be run by banking agents. “We will designate self help groups who will be the banking agents with power to lend money,” the minister added.

The banks, Dasgupta said, will be told to increase the amount of loan they give to common people. “In Andhra Pradesh, the total amount of agricultural loan disbursed last year was Rs 40,000 crore whereas in West Bengal it was just Rs 8, 300 crore. This year we have set the target at Rs 20,000 crore,” Dasgupta said.

The RBI has, however, expressed its reservation of the poor CDR of Bengal. “The CDR in West Bengal is lower than the national average. It has to be reversed,” Subbarao said. During the meeting, they discussed how to increase the ratio.

On the issue of regulating the NMFIs, Dasgupta said: “Allegations regarding charging high interest, mode of recovery etc have been raised from time to time and we will take measures to control them in tandem with the RBI.” The state has 21 MFIs.

source (http://www.indianexpress.com/news/bengal-gets-all-is-well-certificate-from-rbi-on-financial-crisis/722387/0)

Government to set up cold storages in 16 districts (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Government-to-set-up-cold-storages-in-16-districts/articleshow/7068206.cms)

KOLKATA: Taking a U-turn from the McKinsey proposal to beef up agri-marketing and setting up of cold chains through private initiative, the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government is now assuming the lead role in the setting up of a chain of 30 multi-purpose cold storages across 16 districts in the state.

This will cost the state an estimated `55.33 crore, and will be taken from the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund ( RIDF), which is maintained by the National Bank for Rural and Infrastructure Development ( Nabard).

The chief minister believes that this backward integration would help farmers to market vegetables and milk products, 30% of which is wasted at the production point.

While taking up the initiative itself was an important statement made by the state government at the foundation stone-laying of the cold storages through videoconference the other was Bhattacharjee's reiteration that "we are not in favour of FDI in the retail sector".

"We don't want Americans to come and do business in the retail market of our agricultural produce," Bhattacharjee said categorically on Wednesday. If there was a time when the CM had met a team of representatives from Wal-Mart at his Writers' Buildings chamber, it is certainly a thing of the past, the message has been loud and clear from the CPM for some years now.

Even the initiatives taken after discussions with Reliance fell through after the move was met with opposition from the CPM's other LF allies, as well as a section of CPM's own partymen. The greatest opposition had come from Forward Bloc.

It was after a string of conditions were placed on Metro Cash & Carry that the company was allowed to set up shop in the state.

As far as the cold storage initiative is concerned, Bhattacharjee did not completely rule out the possibility of private companies' entry into the sector. He said that "PPP" (public-private-partnership) could be encouraged "later" and stressed the fact that the state government was taking the initiative at present.

The cold storages will come up at Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, North Dinajpur, Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, North 24-Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Burdwan, Birbhum, Bankura, Purulia, West Midnapore and East Midnapore. Bhattacharjee spoke to all the district magistrates through videoconference and asked them how much time the work would take to complete. The CM asked them to set a target of two months.

According to agricultural marketing board chairman Naren Chatterjee, the chain will gradually be handed over to farmers' cooperatives and self-help groups after they go through a series of training from experts, including those from Jadavpur University.

Looks like Mamata didi is successfully industrializing other states! First it was Gujarat who got a big gift from Mamata didi. Now Odisha could be a beneficiary of her constructive policies.


:lol:

Orissa nuclear plant gift to Russia?

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Orissa-nuclear-plant-gift-to-Russia/Article1-636145.aspx

As India prepares to welcome Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on December 21-22, one of the nuclear power projects that Russia intends to set up in India may be shifted to Orissa from West Bengal, following protests by local farmers, officials said. After Russia expressed concerns over protests in related stories
India, Russia to ink fighter aircraft deal
Haripur, West Bengal, against the proposed project, India has "informally conveyed" that a new site in Orissa can be made available.

“We have received this informal proposal and it sounds good,” a Russian official said.

However, government sources said: "Last ditch efforts are on to sort out the problems regarding the Haripur site."

The 200 MW Haripur project would require around 5,000 acres. As at Singur and Nandigram, locals are resisting land acquisition claiming fertile and multi-cropped land on which more than 25,000 farmers depend for their livelihood, is being taken away.

Here too, the protests, which have been on for the past two years, are led by Trinamool Congress, which controls the east Midnapore zilla-parishad under which Haripur falls.

"It is difficult for me to comment. The party opposing the project is an important partner of the resent union government. It is up to the Centre to decide the matter," West Bengal Industries Minister and CPI (M) politburo member Nirupam Sen told Hindustan Times, when asked if he was hopeful of sorting out the issue at Haripur.

^^ HT has gone :nuts:

200 MW :rofl:

it might me 2000 MW seeing the land required...how can they make such mistakes?

Looks like Mamata didi is successfully industrializing other states! First it was Gujarat who got a big gift from Mamata didi. Now Odisha could be a beneficiary of her constructive policies.


:lol:

Orissa nuclear plant gift to Russia?

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Orissa-nuclear-plant-gift-to-Russia/Article1-636145.aspx

Jai ho didi jai ho joda ful

Bengal seeks energy investment

The Bengal government is in talks with two international players in the renewable energy sector to set up facilities at Panagarh, state industry minister Nirupam Sen said today.

“The government has enough land for industry players. There is 1,500 acres in Panagarh of which 500 acres has been allotted to Matix Fertiliser & Chemicals. We are looking for investors for the rest of the land,” Sen said at an event organised by the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce here today.

Matix Fertiliser & Chemicals, led by Nishant Kanodia of Datamatics Group, has started construction in Panagarh. The company will receive coal bed methane gas from the Raniganj field operated by Essar Oil.

The government is also in possession of land in Purulia, Naihati and Kharagpur, Sen said. “One of the biggest fears of investors in Bengal is that physical possession of land is difficult. Bengal has been successful in providing land to Telcon in Kharagpur and paper equipment manufacturer GapCon in Kalyani. It has also provided land to Tractors India Limited. The government has created a land bank and believes there is enough scope for investment,” he said.

The state industry ministry identified three important sectors in the state that can attract investment.

“Bengal has strength in food processing, service and renewable energy sectors. Investments are welcome in these sectors,” Sen said.

According to the 67th national survey report, Bengal has the largest number of medium and small scale enterprises and also generates highest employment in the sector. The state has also been able to maintain a steady growth rate of 7-8 per cent, Sen said.

On the government’s plans to develop the road to Panagarh, Sen said the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation will hand over land to the National Highway Authority to develop a bypass that will lead to the area.


source (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1101212/jsp/business/story_13289781.jsp)

KOLAGHAT: In a role reversal of sorts, Trinamool Congress leaders who once dug roads in Nandigram to oppose the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government's proposed chemical hub, and have come to power in the East Midnapore zilla parishad, are now opposed to any movement against land acquisition for expansion of the National Highway-6 for the 25-km stretch between Kolaghat and Panskura.

Shiekh Sufian, now public works karmadhyaksha of the zilla parishad, would like to distinguish between the acquisition proposal in Nandigram and the one for highway expansion. "Our party has categorically stated that it won't come in the way of land acquisition for infrastructure roads and railways. It is for public purpose, when the proposal in Nandigram was for setting up of private industry. We support the National Highway Expansion Project and won't tolerate any anti-acquisition stir," the agitator turned karmadhyaksha said in response to the opposition by local traders.

Taking a leaf out of the Trinamool book, traders of Deulia flower market near Kolaghat want the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to come clear on the reasonability of such huge acquisition, and also the price on offer. They complain that the NHAI compensation rates are much lower than the valuation done by the state land department. They have threatened to block the NH-6 for one hour everyday if the district magistrate doesn't reply to their queries.

The highway expansion project covers 14 mouzas seven under Kolaghat and seven under Panskura. The 300-year-old Deulia flower market comes under Mihitikri mouza in Kolaghat. Trouble broke out on November 15, the day NHAI issued a notification signed by S S, Gulia announcing the acquisition. It raised hackles among the 400-odd traders of Deulia market who had shifted from their earlier location eight years ago in 2002, when the NH-6 was expanded.

"How many times do we have to relocate ourselves? There are 30 resident families and 400 traders in the market area. The NHAI won't help in our rehabilitation. Landlosers got the compensation amount last time, but the roadside stall owners were left in the lurch. And look at the stretch. There is a vacant stretch of five metres that is sufficient for expansion of the four-lane NH-6 expansion by another two lanes. Why then do the government want to acquire land up to the market which is about 300 feet from the middle of the highway. We need to know what the NHAI wants to do with such huge stretch of land," said Ranjit Jana secretary of the Deulia Byabsayee Unnayan Samity. They instead wanted the NHAI to amend the plan as it did near Siddhi to avoid demolition of a mosque.

Landowners of the area have been rushing to the additional district sub-registrar's office at Kolaghat to get their land valuation done. Sukumar Maity, who owns a 2.77-decimal plot along the NH-6, showed papers that his plot was valued at `63 lakh by the state land department wing. "Accordingly, I paid `7,000 as property tax. I want know what is the price on offer from the NHAI. I can't give up my land for a song," Maity said.

Traders have already submitted their written objections to the East Midnapore district magistrate.

"We will wait for the district magistrate to come clear on the relevant points. If the administration sits tight, we will launch a stir on the NH-6 and are ready to go for an indefinite blockade on the NH-6 on this issue," Jana said.

What a bunch of bloody hypocrites.So they have absolutely no qualms about people being displaced,payed less for their land and being made homeless.Why? Because this a "road project" and its for "development".

A road project which probably entails a few tens of crores of investment and no employment generation.

But a project for a factory which was almost built,would have created thousands of jobs not to mention the huge image for the state was stopped by this same party.

Assholes.

^^

Road development does create temporary employment for construction workers. Plus as part of infrastructure, a good road contributes to economy in many ways.

The hypocrisy is in the fact that the TMC has opposed national highway expansions in many other districts.

Now that TMC has won control in many villages and cities in West Bengal, they will have to deliver the goods. Sitting on a tiger is probably easier than riding it.

:lol:

Let's hope though that the state benefits from competition of development by the three main parties, rather than competition of "NO to everything".

NTPC plans 2 units in Bengal for Rs 9,600 cr

National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) will set up two supercritical power units each with generating capacity of 800 mw at Katwa in Burdwan district of West Bengal.

The government-run power generation company West Bengal Power Deve-lopment Corporation (WB PDCL) had been in discussion with Bhel of forming a 50:50 joint venture to execute the project. However, Bhel did not show interest to pick up more than 26 per cent of stakes in the joint venture. And the state government was not too confident of servicing the debt, thanks to the ongoing financial crisis. As a result, WBPDCL was forced to hand over the entire project to NTPC, which was too keen to bag the project.

Arup Roy Chowdhury, chairman and managing director of NTPC, said, “We will set up the Katwa project with an investment of around Rs 9,600 crore. We will pay the entire amount that WBPDCL has spent so far for this project.”

According to the plan, NTPC will commission the project in four years’ time from the zero date.

The Katwa project needs around 1,100 acres of land of which 387 acres of land has been acquired so far. State power secretary Malay De, who also confirmed state government’s decision to hand over the Katwa project entirely to NTPC, said, “The company will begin construction after the next monsoon. The state government will acquire the rest of the land which is required for implementation of the project.”

NTPC also hoped that it would bag the greenfield expansion at the Santhaldihi thermal power station. The company was in negotiation with the WBPDCL for past few months on forming a 50:50 joint venture with it to set up two units each of 660 mw at Santhaldihi. “We are interested to set up the units on our own. At the same time, we are also interested in taking over two operating units each with 250 mw capacity at Santaldihi,” Chowdhury said.

source (http://www.mydigitalfc.com/news/ntpc-plans-2-units-bengal-rs-9600-cr-383)

i pray to god that this project do not get stuck up due to land acquisition

source (http://www.mydigitalfc.com/news/ntpc-plans-2-units-bengal-rs-9600-cr-383)

i pray to god that this project do not get stuck up due to land acquisition

Mamata party has opposed land acquistion in Katwa.

But by next monsoons she will be in power. NTPC is a public sector organization. Wont be surprised if she starts laying foundation stones for projects she opposed under Left rule.

^^ then i pray to god that she comes in power :)