The West Bengal Government on Friday formally allowed the Salim Group-backed joint venture partner, New Kolkata Infrastructure Development, to begin preliminary survey at Nayachar island, off the Haldia coast. The West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) and its joint venture, the Salim Group-backed New Kolkata Infrastructure Development (NKID), are to set up chemical hub at the island — a 54 square km land mass. The Nayachar chemical hub is to become a part of the proposed petroleum, chemical, and petrochemical investment region (PCPIR).In retrospect, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's failure to set up such a hub at Nandigram last year now looks as a blessing in disguise. The land at Nayachar has been described as stable for setting up chemical processing units by a Singapore-based consultant firm. Besides, the island being in the possession of the government, it would be easier for it to move faster, said a senior bureaucrat. The Nayachar island is virtually uninhabited.The Chief Minister, meanwhile, has asked state Commerce and Industries Minister Nirupam Sen to expedite the paperwork and send it to the Centre for the final go-ahead. Clearances are required from 12 departments before the project finally goes on steam, said Nirupam Sen.“There would be no hassles in getting clearance from the Prime Minister’s Office or the ministry concerned”, said Bhattacharjee after handing over the land documents for Nayachar to the JV today. Singapore-based Jurong Consultants had been appointed by the state government to look into the feasibility of setting up the PCPIR at Nayachar. Sources said the consultants had submitted its report to the state government giving Nayachar the thumbs-up a fortnight ago.“Jurong’s report is important to us as they have international expertise and have been working on a couple of similar big projects in China”, said Sen. West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) and the Salim group-backed company New Kolkata Infrastructure Development (NKID) have entered into a joint venture for developing Nayachar as a processing zone in the PCPIR. The new company thus formed is called Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy Chemicals Pvt Ltd. (APCRC)After the handover, Sen said 12,000-13,000 acres of land had been handed over to the APCRC. A feasibility study would soon begin at Nayachar.
