Jindal group plant at Salboni

Midnapore, Nov 2 (UNI) West Bengal's Midnapore district would get the prime industrial project from the Jindal Group.

State's Commerce and Industries Minister Nirupam Sen, who surveyed the area, announced that the project would be set up at Salboni.

Mr Sen was accompanied by Paschimanchal Unnayan Parishad Susanta Ghosh, Industries secretary Sabyasachi Sen and Director of Industries M V Rao among others.

Mr Sen also visited Khargpur and said the Tata group promoted Telcon factory, manufacturing heavy earth moving machinery, would be set up there.

A bio-tech park in IIT near Hijli and two Special Economic Zones (SEZ)--one by Videocon and another by Srei Infrastructure Finance Corporation would be set up on both sides of National Highway 60 near Khargapur, he said.

Talking to reporters at the Midnapore Circuit House this evening after a high level meeting where senior district officials, Mr Sen said he had instructed the district authorities to earmark the families, who would lose their lands.

He said training would be given to at least one young man in each family through the IIT and ITI to equip them with the technical know-how for employment in these industries.

" We have requested the Architecture and Planning Department and the Civil Engineering Department of IIT Khargapur to prepare a Total Industrial Perspective Plan for the entire area laying emphasis on creation of Social Infrastructure facilities including roads, water and electricity," he said.

" We have also asked them to prepare a plan for rain water harvesting in the area to benefit agriculturists in this laterite Zone," the Minister said.

Mr Uttam Banerjee, professor and head of the Department of Architecture and Regional Planning, has been asked to co-ordinate the activities regarding drawing up the Perspective Plan.

" We will sit with the district authorities on November 13 for preparing a perspective plan," Mr Banerjee said.

The Minister was informed that the entire water needed by the industries would be available from the Kangsbati and Subarnarekha River.

Meanwhile, the NHAI authorities attending the meeting informed the Minister that the NH 60 stretches from Kharagpur to Ranchi to convert it into a Four Lane Highway for moving the raw materials for the industries from Jharkhand.

The Minister said Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya has already talked to the Defence Minister to hand over to the State Government vast tracks of land now owned by the Defence Department near Salua for setting up more industries.

UNI XC TJP AKP1855