Single-window system for mega investments in Bengal: Suvendu
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday announced that his Government would introduce a single-window clearance mechanism for investment proposals of Rs 100 crore and above, asserting that land availability would not be a constraint for industries in the State.
Speaking at the foundation stone-laying ceremony of Lux Industry Ltd’s new facility, touted as one of Asia’s largest garments manufacturing plants, at Dankuni in Hooghly district, Adhikari said the Government was committed to creating a business-friendly environment and attracting fresh investments. “There will be a single-window clearance system for investment proposals worth Rs 100 crore and above. Availability will not be an issue for industry,” he said, laying the foundation stone for the Rs 600-crore plant.
“Such investments will not have to obtain approvals from panchayats, municipalities, municipal corporations or zilla parishads. Instead, clearances relating to land and environment, among others, will be processed through a single-window mechanism involving the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) and the State departments concerned,” he added.
Adhikari said his Government would rely on direct purchase of land, rather than acquisition, for industry needs.
“We do not want another Singur or Nandigram. If investors require land, the Government will procure it under the direct land purchase policy and hand it over,” he said, noting that this framework was being used for infrastructure projects, including those for the railways, the BSF and airports.
Claiming that West Bengal was poised to regain its position as a leading investment destination, he said the state was entering a new phase of industrial growth.
“West Bengal will once again become India’s top destination for investment. A business-friendly environment is created only when law and order are maintained,” he said.
Adhikari alleged that the State’s debt had increased from around Rs 2 lakh crore during the Left Front regime to nearly Rs 8 lakh crore under the previous Trinamool Congress Government, maintaining that attracting investments was crucial to augmenting the State’s own revenue.
Stating that around one crore workers from West Bengal were employed outside the State, he said the Government aimed to create large-scale employment opportunities through industrialisation.
Adhikari said his Government was working to build a “three-pillar” framework for employment generation through industry, infrastructure and skill development, expressing confidence that people would soon witness the benefits of a “double-engine” Government through improvements in law and order, employment, education and healthcare.
Industry Minister Tapas Roy said the Government would make all efforts to bring back companies that had moved out of the State, expressing confidence that West Bengal’s “industrial drought” would soon end.
“We are prepared to work tirelessly with the chief minister to bring industries back. People should not have to leave the State in search of jobs,” he said.
State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya, a Rajya Sabha MP, said industrial growth should transcend linguistic identities, welcoming investment from all sections.
“Anyone who has contributed to Bengal’s economy and generated employment belongs to Bengal, irrespective of the language they speak at home. We are Indians first,” he said, adding that the new Government would strive to unlock the State’s industrial potential.
Health Minister Sharad Mukherjee and Transport Minister Arjun Singh were also present at the function.
Meanwhile, Lux Industries Ltd announced that it will undergo a three-way demerger, under which the Lux Cozi Group will emerge as one of the independent business verticals.
The proposed facility, which will be a part of the Lux Cozi Group, will expand the company’s existing 8 lakh sq ft manufacturing unit at Dankuni by another 12 lakh sq ft, taking the total campus to 20 lakh sq ft, a statement said.
The project is expected to add an annual production capacity of 20 crore garments, taking the group’s nationwide capacity to about 36 crore pieces a year, it said.
Once operational, the company said the facility would be among Asia’s largest garment manufacturing hubs and would generate around 3,000 direct and 6,000 indirect jobs, it added.
