West Bengal Government scraps Rajarhat IT park project

Kolkata, Sep.7 (ANI): The West Bengal government on Monday scrapped plans for an IT-related township in the Rajarhat area near Salt Lake City in the wake of a land scam involving land sharks and government officials.

The State Government had revealed last month that it had acquired land for the Infosys and Wipro complexes.

The state Cabinet went far beyond the waiving aside of the urban land ceiling to enable promoters procure the rest of the land. The government also promised to facilitate the process of land conversion (from agricultural to non-agricultural). Clause 5.51 under Section D of the MoU clearly states that Webel shall enable the joint venture company to get all clearance and "applicable permits" under the law, including "conversion of land".

The government stayed away from procuring land on its own. Instead, it gave the JVC a long rope and agreed on getting land from this company on lease, leaving 600 acres to the private partners for commercial use. Not only that, the private promoters set the terms for Webel's activities on the leasehold land. Clause 4.6 of the MoU states: "With a view to meet the requirement of small IT companies for built-up space, if Webel intends to develop IT parks, the Joint Venture partner Vedic Diamond will be given the first right of refusal to develop such facilities."

Nobody attempted a cost benefit analysis important for a public purpose project.(ANI)