Bengal tries to revive shelved Nayachar project

Despite facing resistance from the Opposition as well as a section within the party, the Left Front government in West Bengal is exploring ways of reviving the shelved chemical hub project at Nayachar.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today held a meeting of the core group to review the prospect of reviving the project, which was shelved after the Left suffered a humiliating defeat in the recent general elections. Industry Minister Nirupam Sen, Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta and secretaries of the departments concerned were present at the meeting, while Land and Land Reforms Minister Abdur Rezzak Molla was not present. It is learnt that Molla had deliberately opted out of the meeting, as he was opposed to the idea of pushing for the project.

After the meeting, Sen told the media that issues related to the land involved in the project were discussed. The meeting also discussed the modalities of a memorandum of understanding (MoU), which the state would have to sign with the Centre for the proposed project, Sen added.

However, Molla told Business Standard that he was strongly opposed to any such move for reviving the project. “Nothing will happen in reality. But by doing this, these leaders will cause more damage to the party’s political prospect,” he said.

Earlier, the state government was actively lobbying for the proposed chemical hub and got clearance from the Centre subject to its environmental clearance. But it snowballed into a big political issue after the farmers started resisting the government’s land acquisition bid in Nandigram, where the project was initially planned to be set up.

Thereafter, the government decided to set up the project at Nayachar, a river island near Haldia. Accordingly, an MoU was signed between the state government and the Salim Group of Indonesia, and the latter was entrusted with the task of preparing the techno-feasibility report.

The Salim Group had announced earlier that it would be able to attract around Rs 40,000 crore of investment. But after the general elections, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee openly reiterated her opposition to the proposed hub, and said her party would do everything to obstruct it.

The state government also decided to shelve it along with many other land-intensive projects for the time being. But the sudden initiative taken by the chief minister and the industry minister indicates to a brewing political battle within the ruling CPI(M) where these two are increasingly being criticised for pushing the party into the present political crisis. Incidentally, Molla belongs to that vocal section of the party.