Bengal to unveil new policy, provide land for industry without forcible acquisition from farmers: CM

New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday said his government would soon introduce a comprehensive investment and land policy, and provide land for industries without “forcibly” acquiring it from farmers.

Speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony of Amit Metaliks' Rs 4,000-crore greenfield integrated steel plant at Raghunathpur in Purulia, Adhikari said the state was planning land policy changes based on successful models followed by Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

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The CM said his government would move quickly on the policy changes, after receiving recommendations from a group of ministers headed by Industry Minister Tapas Roy.

Adhikari said the state government would also change its incentive framework, making employment generation a key criterion rather than merely the size of investment.

He asserted that the state had now moved away from "forcible" land acquisition, and the previous practice of leaving industrialists to arrange land on their own, through new approaches like land pooling.

“We have come out of both the practices. We have seen land being taken away at gunpoint during the 34-year regime. We have also seen that for 15 years, the government telling industrialists that it cannot provide land, and asking them to purchase it,” alleged Adhikari, referring to previous governments in the state.

“So, we have introduced a land purchase policy, and will also start a land pooling policy. We will take land from farmers, develop it and use it for industry,” he said.

Under land pooling, owners retain a stake in the development and can potentially benefit from the appreciation in land value, the chief minister said. Under conventional acquisition, they receive a one-time compensation and generally do not benefit from the subsequent increase in the value of the developed land.

Adhikari said investors putting in more than Rs 100 crore would not be required to approach municipal corporations, panchayats and zilla parishads for permissions, with the state government ensuring the necessary clearances.

“We want industrial growth, employment and faster infrastructure development. We want West Bengal to move ahead of other states,” he said.

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Adhikari asserted that West Bengal needs to shed what he described as the “negativity” associated with the 34-year Left Front rule, including “militant trade union politics and the culture of industrial lockouts”.

He also said the state had to move away from the “politics of doles and syndicate” of the subsequent 15 years, pointing at the previous TMC dispensation.

Adhikari said the government's focus was to create an environment where industries could invest and generate employment, particularly for the local youth.

Speaking about the Amit Metaliks' project, the CM said his government would extend all necessary support for the Rs 4,000-crore plant, and urged the company to complete the project in 800 days against the 1,000-day deadline and prioritise local people in recruitment.

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