‘Country being sold out to satisfy individual interests’

The CM had been criticising the Central government for its alleged wrong policies and for muscling anti-people economic reforms in the Parliament.

“The Centre’s economic policies are misguided and it continues to push for anti-people reforms. I feel it’s a conspiracy to sell the country for the sake of a few individuals.”

Earlier,Minister for Commerce and Industries Partha Chatterjee announced,after the meeting of the assembly standing committee on infrastructure,that the state government is going to lease out excess land under the transport department at various places for commercial use. “There are more than 500 acres of land scattered at various depots and they could be given to private companies,’’ Chatterjee said.

“Unused land within all transport depots under KMC Ward No. 1 to 100 will be put on auction soon for commercial use,” Mamata added. Speaking about other decisions taken in the meeting,Mamata said Ramakrishna Mission at Belur Math would be given a plot of five acres at Rajarhat to set up a Centre for Excellence as the Mission has developed in Chicago in USA on the occasion of Swami Vivekananda’s 150th birth anniversary.

Later,the industry minister added that an investment of about Rs 2,000 crore has been ensured in today’s meeting with the government’s decision of giving plots to different parties.

DVC would be given a plot of 100 acres at Raghunathpur in Purulia district by his department and the WBIDC for setting up a Steel and Alloy Park,Chatterjee said.

HPCL would be given a plot of 75 acres at Panagarh Industrial Park in Burdwan district for setting up an LPG bottling plant,he said.

Besides,Ambay Group and Shalimar would be given plots of 2.5 acres and five acres respectively at Vidyasagar Industrial Park at Kharagpur,Chatterjee said.

V-Fashion Pvt Ltd would also be given a plot for setting up a garment park in the state.

Meanwhile,Sabyasachi Bagchi,Chairman of the West Bengal Small Scale Industrial Development Corporation said the state government has allocated Rs 100 crore to the corporation for developing seven industrial estates in the state.

Those who had applied for land under these industrial estates would soon be shortlisted before the Chief Minister hands them over the land,Bagchi said.

They have already declared details of about 624 plots in the state for setting up small scale industries units,he said.