Bengal govt plans to attract ₹37,000-cr investment through textiles parks

The West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday announced that in a bid to facilitate business in the state, the government has made an ambitious plan to attract around ₹37,000 crore in the State through 10 textiles clusters or parks.

The proposed projects planned which includes setting up of parks to fetch a total estimated investment of more than ₹37,000 crore to boost the textile sector and these will also provide employment to 6 lakh people.

The CM further urged investors to come up with projects in the seven upcoming theme townships at Asansol-Durgapur, Kalyani, Bolpur, Siliguri, Domjur, and Baruipur.

Mamata Banerjee also announced that the state government will now issue provisional certificate of clearance for projects within 15 days. Also the trade licenses will now be required to be renewed every three years.

The mutation of land for industrial units could be done within three weeks and the land conversion could now be allowed in a month. In an integrated initiative, the State has simplified much of the paper work and processes for setting up businesses in the state, Banerjee said.

According to estimates, the development expenditure of these projects will be about ₹9,159 crore and investment in more than 40 units could be ₹26,100 crore.

The State will provide land for five units — one in Bankura, two in Kolkata, one in South 24 Parganas and one in Howrah district.

The State expects ₹8,500 crore investments in the government-assisted Hosiery Park at Jagadishpur in Howrah for knitwear and readymade garments to be developed by West Bengal Hosiery Association at a cost of ₹3,100 crore.

Regent Garment Park for knitwear and apparel industries, proposed to be developed by a private enterprise at Barasat in North 24 Parganas, is also projected to attract ₹8,500 crore in setting up units. Its development cost has been estimated at ₹2,900 crore.

The State has offered land for another integrated textile park at Belur in Howrah in public-private partnership. This is estimated to cost ₹1,050 crore for development and may attract ₹3,000 crore worth of investments in power looms, readymade garments and textile processing units.

At Ashok Nagar in North 24 Parganas, one such project will be developed at a cost of ₹600 crore. It is estimated to have an investment potential of ₹2,250 crore.

Banerjee also further assured the business community that right from issuing trade licenses to sanctioning of building plans, every statutory sanction was to be delivered within 15 to 30 days.

Besides the industry captains, state finance minister Amit Mitra and KMC Mayor Sovan Chatterjee were present at the event.