Unrest delaying mega projects, hindering Bengal's dev: Chambers

Kolkata, Aug 6(UNI) Expressing deep concern at the continued political turmoil over industrialisation and disruption in work at the Tata Motors's small car factory at Singur, leading chambers and business bodies of West Bengal today warned that this was turning the clock back and snuffing out the state's investment prospects.

A day after Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee asserted that neither the Tatas nor his Government was going to back out from small car project at Singur in the face of a stepped-up agitation, the Chambers said the unrest was delaying the mega projects and hindering the state's development process.

'' We are turning the clock back and fuelling negative perceptions that will unarguably slow down the current growth momentum and choke immediate and future investment prospects,'' the chambers said in a statement.

The joint statement was issued by Bengal Chamber of Commerce, Bharat Chamber of Commerce, Calcutta Chamber of Commerce, Confederation of Indian Industry (ER), Merchants' Chamber of Commerce and Oriental Chamber of Commerce.

Observing that the frequent disturbances were not only severely affecting the mega projects in West Bengal, but were also showing the state in a poor light, they said these 'retrograde steps' could 'cruelly wipe out' the positive image of industrial regeneration that the state had been able to build up.

The statement came in the background of recent spurt in agitation by the Trinamool Congress, which demanded that at least 40 per cent of the land acquired for the small car project at Sigur, be returned to the farmers.

Giving call for a sustained movement, party supremo Mamata Banerjee will kickstart the agitational programme on August 20.

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