Mamata offers sops to industrialists

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Wednesday assured industrialists of speedy clearance of land for industries and promised to solve issues related to infrastructure within a specific timeframe.

Banerjee, who has recently taken charge of the core committee on industries, held a meeting with industrialists and representatives of different industry groups at the state secretariat.

In the meeting, leading industry captains such as ITC chairman Y.C. Deveshwar and Harsh Neotia, who heads the Ambuja Realty Group, were present.

Talking to the media after the meeting, Neotia said Banerjee assured entrepreneurs that the government would try to solve problems within a timeframe if they informed her of issues related to land and infrastructure.

"The chief minister said if any problem comes up, the government would take a decision on clearance of the land within 30 days," he said.

The state assembly had earlier passed the Land Reforms (Amendment) Bill 2012, amending Section 14Y of the West Bengal Land Reforms Act, 1955, that lifted the land ceiling in several cases of industrial operations.

"She said industrialists could also give specific proposals to the government to set up new units on available government land," Neotia said, adding that Banerjee urged the business community to invest more in the state.

Describing the meet as "very satisfying", Deveshwar said: "The meeting was to get various ideas with an objective of accelerating economic development and the meeting was good in that respect."

The next meeting of the core committee on industries is scheduled to be held July 3.

The committee is an interface Banerjee had created soon after assuming office in May 2011. Earlier, state Finance Minister Partha Chatterjee used to preside over the meetings.