Bengal govt to announce bio-fuel policy soon

Haldia, Apr 24: Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee todaydeclared that the West Bengal government will soon announce a bio-fuelpolicy.

Laying the foundation stone of the first bio-diesel plant inEastern India with an investment of Rs 150 crore here, the chiefminister said, ''This bio-diesel factory will be fully agro-based.

The raw meterial--Jatropha--will be produced by the panchayat in the arid zones of West Midnapore, Bankura, Purulia and Malda.

''Lakhs of farmers in these areas will be employed under thisproject. We are presently identifying the land and deciding on the typeof urbanisation for cultivating 'jatropha' on a large scale,'' he said.

In view of the fact that the country produces only 22 per cent ofits diesel requirement and 78 per cent is imported, which drains out ahuge amount of foreign currency reserves, this project will meet 3.33per cent of the total demand-supply gap, Mr Bhattacharjee said.

''This will be both eco-friendly and employment-generating for ourfarmers,'' he said, adding, ''This policy will be announced immediatelyafter consulting the Agriculture Panchayat and Land RevenueDepartment.'' Sitting beside MP Lakshman Seth, who was on a wheel chairfollowing a road accident, the chief minister declared that the face ofHaldia had recently gone through a sea-change.

''What was previously a fisherman's village has now been turnedinto an industrial hub with about hundred modern industries at aninvestment of Rs 20,000 crore and generating 40,000 direct employmentand an indirect employment of about four lakh people,'' he said.

Asserting his intention of turning the state into an industrialdestination, Mr Bhattacharjee said that young engineers and doctors,studying in 68 engineering colleges and 18 universities, need to beemployed.

''What would be our answer to the young generation if we cannot industrialise the state,'' he asked.

Mr Seth said after industrialising Haldia, he was looking at seven more neighbouring areas to industrialise these.

The chief minister also laid the foundation stone for a coke ovenplant of Haldia project today with a capacity to produce three lakhtonnes every year.

UNI