Chemical hub in Haldia : Bhattacharjee

Kolkata, Aug 22 (UNI) West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today said the proposed chemical hub, which had been eluding the state following the Nandigram violence, would be set up at Halida.

The Government is likely to convene an all-party meeting on September three for coming to a consensus on the new location of the project, which will be an extension of the Haldia Petrochemical refinery zone, he told reporters at the Writers' Buildings.

"We expect to hold an all-party meeting on September three to take decision on the project which will come up at Haldia. We have to resolve the issue over its location," he said.

The project, which would require about 4,000 acres of land in the first phase, was to have come up at Nandigram, close to Haldia, in East Midnapore district, but the state Government had to abandon the plan following mob fury over the issue of land acquisition.

"Of the 10,000 acres required for the hub, 6,000 acres of land is already within the zone of the Haldia Petrochemicals Limited. The new project, needing only 4,000 acres more, will be an extension of HPL," Mr.Bhattacharjee said.

In reply to a question whether the Government had backed out on the concept of a chemical hub by tagging the project with the HPL, the chief minister said, "you may call it a chemical hub or a zone." Ever since a countrywide controversy was whipped up following the Nandigram incident, the chief minister insisted that the chemical hub must be set up somewher else on the basis of a consensus.

He had sent sent letters to different political parties seeking their opinions on the issue.

Mr. Bhattacharjee today said all the parties, except the Trinamool Congress had replied his letters.

UNI