West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said that Asansol-Durgapur belt and its adjacent areas would see witness many more development programmes after the inauguration of long awaited IISCO modernisation.
"A large amount of development has taken place in this region after we came to power in the state, while many more development awaits for this entire industrial region," Banerjee said after inaugurating the Kazi Nazrul Islam University near the poet's birthplace at Churulia.
Banerjee has also asked the KNI university authority to prepare a proposal urging Dhaka University for collaborative programmes between these two universities.
"When I will visit Dhaka, the matter can be discussed with the appropriate authority there," she said.
"The university has now a campus of eight acres land. We are trying to expand it further to accommodate a B.ED. college and a Law college," she said.
Stating that due honour was not given to this rebel poet, Banerjee said that her government had developed this university and an Academy after the name of the poet, besides developing Nazrul Tirtha at New Town, Rajarhat.
Giving a list of development programmes which already had taken place in the area, Banerjee said commercial operation of the country's first private Greenfield airport at Andal would begin from May 18 with a six-day-a-week flight service between Durgapur and Kolkata.
Stating that the entire region would immensely benefit from this service, Banerjee announced 25 per cent concession in this air service for students, land-losers and government officials from the area of Durgapur, Asansol, Raniganj, Bolpur, Santiniketan and Jangalmahal for a year.
Besides, ailing residents of Jangalmahal area could also travel with 25 per cent concession for their treatment, she said.
Banerjee also announced sales tax exemption to the carrier on ATF required for air operation at Andal for a period till 2023.
She also said that a private operator Pinnacle Air would begin air services on Kolkata-Durgapur-Bagdogra-Cooch Behar sector from the same day.
