Mamata announces IT hub at Chinsurah

"We are committed to develop industry in the districts," the chief minister said at the inauguration of the Arambag-Tarakeswar new broad gauge line here

The IT hub at Chinsurah, a former Dutch settlement, would be set up as per her promise to spread industry to districts.

Banerjee also said that the government was keen to set up an agriculture college at Singur in Hooghly district.

She said this was one of the projects she had put priority on while she was the railway minister in the period between 1999 and 2000.

She said that there would be new rail links covering Bishnupur, Jairambati and Kamarpukur.

The Arambag station would be named after former West Bengal chief minister Prafulla Chandra Sen and the Mayapur station would be named after Raja Rammohan Ray.

As the chief minister spoke in swelteing heat, a large crowd tried to come close to the stage, prompting her to cut short her speech and reprimand DRM, Howrah Partha Sarathi Mondol for not 'listening' to the DM and SP, Hooghly for holding the meeting at a bigger venue.

A helpless-looking Railway Minister Mukul Roy was present when Banerjee chastised the DRM.

Building the tempo for next year's panchayat elections in West Bengal, Mamata announced several pro-farmer measures including expansion of the Kisan Credit Card cover and setting up of Kisan mandis and cold storages at block level.

Saying that her government wanted to free farmers from the clutches of money-lenders and assist them in securing loans, Banerjee emphasised that the KCC would help all farmers access bank credit at seven per cent per year which would go down to four per cent on prompt repayment of loans.

Rs 50,000 would be given to each farmer as loans, Banerjee said.