Taking agricultural land inevitable for industry : Buddhadeb

Kolkata, Mar 13 (UNI) Asserting that industrialisation was inevitable in West Bengal, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today said there was no way to avoid taking agricultural land.

'' There is no way that we can totally avoid taking agricultural land for expansion of industrial activities. We have to take it, '' he said while replying to the debate on the Governor's Address in the budget session.

Mr Bhattacharjee said while 63 per cent of the state's total land area was for agriculture, there was 23 per cent forest area, one per cent fallow land and the rest industrial area.

Warning the Opposition against putting obstacles against industrialisation, he said no force would be able to stop the process, which had been initiated for providing jobs to the youths.

'' Industrialisation is the inevitable pace of West Bengal. Do not try to stop the state's elevation to industry from agriculture. The new generation wants industry and we shall do it, '' he said.

The Chief Minister, however, said a survey was being conducted to ascertain how far the agricultural land could be spared from acquisition and how much fallow land could be utilised for setting up industries.

He also admitted that acquisition of agricultural land often created problem at the micro level.

He said the state had 1.35 crore acre of agricultural land of which only few lakh acre was needed for setting up new industries.

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