Days after private cargo handler ABG Haldia Bulk Terminals' (HBT) pulled out from the Haldia, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) today voiced concern about the need to build pro-industry sentiment in the state.
Speaking after the chamber's national executive committee meeting in the city, where, in a break from the usual practice, no state minister was invited, FICCI president R V Kanoria said, “It does not require me to say that there is need to build pro-industry sentiment in the state.”
Although some of the Ficci officials, including president Kanoria, earlier in the day met chief minister Mamata Banerjee at the state secretariat, he confirmed, it was an internal decision of the Ficci not to invite state ministers in the meeting.
“We decided to hold the meeting without external people which is better for discussion,” Kanoria pointed out. Incidentally, even last year chief minister Mamata Banerjee was invited by Ficci to address national executive committee members in the city. Athough Banerjee did not attend, state finance minister Amit Mitra and industry minister Partha Chatterjee represented the state government at the meeting.
Contrary to Banerjee, her predecessor, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was a regular fixture at such meetings.
“In case of outstation national executive committee meeting, the general norm is to invite the chief minister of the respective state. For example, in Chennai earlier this year chief minister Jayalalithaa was invited. As she could not attend, Tamil Nadu’s industry minister and finance minister addressed the Ficci national executive meeting,” an official of Ficci said.
However, responding to a query, Kanoria, requested “not to read too much” into the matter. The Ficci office-bearer also refused to comment on the ABG pull-out issue as “facts are not known”.
Incidentally, today's edition of the national executive committee meeting was the first big event of the Ficci in the city after it earned West Bengal government's wrath for its open letter to the state seeking release of AMRI directors from the judicial custody last year.
Meanwhile, according to Kanoria, Ficci has invited chief minister Mamata Banerjee to address the annual general meeting of the chamber in Delhi scheduled later.
Also Kanoria said, Ficci representative had “a very positive meeting” with chief minister Mamata Banerjee and praised chief minister for her “child-like enthusiasm” for developing the tourism sector of the state. A proposal of holding an industry meet with a focus on investment opportunities in the East was also discussed in the meeting with the chief minister.
