Patnaik Woos Calcutta Industrialists

Orissa Chief Minister J B Patnaik yesterday called upon the industrialists of Calcutta to make further investments in Orissa. Patnaik, who was on a days visit to the city, had already been able to attract investment worth Rs 200 crore from Calcutta-based industrialists.

The Orissa Chief Minister said that the state needed huge industrial investment in order to save the state. So far, the state had been able to attract investments worth more than Rs 1,15,000 crore since 1991, he added. The areas where these investments were targeted include ports, steel plants, oil refinery and mineral-based industries. Patnaik claimed that Orissa was the first state in the country to successfully implement any build, operate, transfer (BOT) project.

 

He said the Orissa government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the International Sea Ports Ltd of Singapore to set up a port near Balasore. He also said that another MoU had been signed for setting up an industrial park in the state. During his last visit to the US, Patnaik said, he had been successful in attracting investments worth Rs 25,000 crore.to Rs 30,000 crore for the state.

Patnaik also mentioned that more railway lines were being laid down connecting several important destinations of the state.

States minister of industries N Patnaik said that the freight equalisation scheme had affected the prospects of industrialisation of the state.