After years of industrial drought —and after hosting about half-a-dozen 'futile' business summits — Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee finally had a big reason to smile aloud in an election year. The reason: her State on Monday witnessed a big ticket investment in the power sector.
Banerjee on Monday layed the foundation stone of a 1600 MW thermal power plant worth `16,000 crore. The power plant — reportedly the biggest greenfield investment in eastern India — will be set up by the JSW Energy.
The setting up of the power plant at Salboni in the jangal mahal area of West Midnapore once afflicted by the Maoist terror, is also likely to afford Banerjee a point to attack the Left for failing to control the ultra Red menace which she finally put down successfully.
Calling the Salboni project "a dream for JSW," JSW chairman Sajjan Jindal said the strategic location of the plant would be of immense help to the company's goals as also for the socio-economic development of the tribal zone. The event also saw the launch of a 2,000-acre JSW Industrial Park, reinforcing the group's long-term commitment to the state. The JSW Group already has a cement-grinding factory at Salboni.
The land was initially acquired by the erstwhile Buddhadeb Bhattacharya Government where the Jindals had promised world's second largest steel plant. The project finally bombed post the fall of the Left regime.
The project is likely to go a distance in bringing back some lost honours for Mamata Banerjee who is largely credited with the flight of capital and industry from Bengal for her aggressive land movement in Singur driving away the Tatas and Nandigram where a huge chemical hub had been planned.
Earlier hitting her critics back for criticising her that the hugely publicized business summits year after year had failed to bring investment in the State Banerjee on Saturday, "this proves that development is happening, adding, "as more power projects come up, electricity prices may drop. The more we invest in power, the more benefits reach the people."