Centre clears deep sea port project Kolkata Airport modernisation

Kolkata, Aug 22(UNI) Even as the UPA-Left relation has reached a cliffhanger, the Centre has cleared the project for a deep sea port and modernisation of Kolkata airport--the two ambitious ventures the Left Front Government has been looking for--to give a fillip to the ongoing industrialisation process in West Bengal.

" The Planning Commission and the Shipping Ministry have sanctioned the deep sea port project in West Bengal while the Civil Aviation Ministry has okayed modernisation of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International airport," Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee told reporters at the Writers' Buildings today.

Mr Bhattacharjee said the Centre had also decided to appoint a consultancy firm for preparing a detailed project report for the proposed deep sea port which would be serving in addition to the existing facilities in Kolkata and Haldia for cargo transportation.

The Chief Minister also informed that Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel would visit the city on September seven to inaugurate the renovated airstrip at Behala on the eastern fringe of the city.

With the Chief Minister skipping the crucial Central Committee meeting in Delhi, the day also witnessed major industrial decisions as the Cabinet Committee cleared projects worth over Rs. 41,000 crores.

Chief Secretary Amit Kiran Deb said altogether four projects in the steel, power and cement sector would come up in Purulia, Bardhaman and North Twentyfour Parganas district on a total area of 11350 acres of land.

UNI