WB govt rectifies section of an agreement signed by LF govt

Identifying a 'major mistake' by the former Left Front government, Mamata Banerjee-led dispensation today incorporated provisions of corporate social responsibility in the agreement signed between the former government and a city-based real estate company to set up a township at Batanagar over 260 acres of land.
"The agreement between the erstwhile LF government and Riverbank Holdings Private Ltd in 2006 (RHPL) without any CSR was a major mistake. The state cabinet today incorporated it with an amendment to a section of the agreement for the benefit of people," state's Panchayat and PHE Minister Subrata Mukherjee said here today.
Elaborating the decision by the state cabinet, Mukherjee said that it would ensure about the use of at least 70 acres of land for CSR purpose out of 260 acres on which the township project was coming up at Batanagar in South 24-Parganas district.

Following this decision by the state cabinet a hospital, school, an industrial park, transport hub, golf course, roads and sewerage system would come up in addition for the benefit of local people, he said.
Besides, steps to be followed for the preservation of all the existing waterbodies within the project site, the minister said.
The RHPL has to relocate all the existing shops in the area at their own costs, he said.
The RHPL had signed the agreement with the LF government in 2006 to develop a Rs 2180 crore township Calcutta Riverside in Batanagar over 260 acres of land along with an IT Special Economic Zone (SEZ).