Will Haldia be the new chemical hub?

While the CPI(M) politburo agonised over the issue of foreign funding for economic growth, West Bengal’s industry minister Nirupam Sen ...

While the CPI(M) politburo agonised over the issue of foreign funding for economic growth, West Bengal’s industry minister Nirupam Sen and later Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee were trying to showcase the state as India’s best investment destination as they wooed foreign and NRI businessmen at a meeting on Wednesday to pick Haldia as a chemical hub over cities in Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Gujarat.

Sen claimed the state’s SDP was higher than the national average, as was the per capita income.

The NRI businessmen and executives of some top multinational companies were told the state had strong infrastructure as was evident in its surplus power, road and rail connectivity and easy access to East and South-East Asia and efficient wired and wireless connectivity. The presentation by the government was made in connection with plans by the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers to set up chemical hubs that would be special economic zones.

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Global consultants and solutions providers Mott MacDonald were hired by the ministry to identify centres that could serve as such hubs. Haldia’s name was suggested by the consultants as one possible centre. ‘‘We have already identified 10,000 acres in Haldia for establishing the hub,’’ Sen told The Indian Express. ‘‘We said during our presentation that we have political stability and consistency in policy, there has been no regional or communal strife, there is rule of law and we score high on human development indices’’.

The Bengal team, bolstered by the CM’s presence, was keen to impress upon the potential investors the state’s success as a business destination.

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