Bankura (WB): West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday promised an investor-friendly ecosystem with improved law and order, easier land availability and employment-linked incentives, while accusing the previous TMC government of driving away investments and leaving the state industrially stagnant.
Laying the foundation stone for Shyam Steel Group’s Rs 15,000-crore integrated steel plant expansion at Mejia in Bankura, Adhikari pitched the project as the BJP government’s biggest industrial initiative since assuming office and unveiled a broader investment roadmap, saying the Adani Group, RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group and Flipkart were among companies planning fresh investments in the state.
Addressing the gathering, Adhikari said industrialisation of western Bengal was essential to reverse decades of migration from districts such as Bankura, Purulia, Paschim Bardhaman and Birbhum.
“I have come here to bring investment. If industries do not come to these districts, infrastructure will not improve, and ancillary industries will not grow. Thousands of young people leave every village for jobs outside the state. They will return once industries come,” he said.
Claiming West Bengal had suffered “an economic disaster” over the past 50 years, Adhikari said investors and industrialists had gradually turned away from the state, but asserted that his government was committed to restoring confidence by creating a business-friendly environment.
“West Bengal is now moving towards progress. One of the first laws we introduced was the Anti-Goonda Act. Anyone locking factory gates will land in jail, while those vandalising factory gates will be made to pay three times the damage. There will be no syndicates, no cut money, and no extortion. The moment we come to know of such activities, we will crush them,” he said.
Seeking to reassure investors, the chief minister said industrialists no longer needed to worry about doing business in the state. “The government will take care of everything. Earlier, even after obtaining approvals at the highest level, businesses had to pay cut money to municipalities and panchayats. That will no longer be allowed because we have transformed the law-and-order situation,” he said.
Reiterating that his government would not resort to forcible land acquisition, Adhikari said investors would instead be provided land through consensual purchase. “Tell us how much land you need, and we will buy it and make it available to you. There will be no forcible land acquisition, nor will investors be shown the door.
Annual incentives will not depend merely on how much you invest, but on how many jobs you create for the youth,” he said. The Shyam Steel project, part of the group’s steel division expansion programme, will entail an investment of around Rs 15,000 crore and generate thousands of direct and indirect jobs, according to the company and the state government.
The expansion aims to transform the existing integrated steel plant into a larger and more modern manufacturing hub, with officials saying it is expected to spur ancillary industries, transport and MSME growth across Bankura and neighbouring districts.
Seeking to project West Bengal as an emerging investment destination, Adhikari announced that several major corporate groups had either committed or expressed interest in investing in the state. He said the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group had proposed fresh investments, including a battery plant, while e-commerce major Flipkart would make a major investment at Haringhata before Durga Puja.
He also said Gautam Adani had expressed interest in investing in the proposed deep-sea port project at Dadanpatrabar, while another Rs 4,000-crore investment was expected in Durgapur after August 15. The chief minister further announced that an Amul dairy plant at Dhulagarh in Howrah would be inaugurated virtually by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday. The industrial pitch, however, was accompanied by sharp political messaging aimed at the previous TMC government.
Adhikari claimed that had there not been a change in government, even the industries still operating in the state would have shifted to Odisha. “The coming of this government has saved Bengal and its people. Investors have started returning,” he said. In a swipe at Mamata Banerjee, Adhikari invited the former chief minister to visit the Mejia plant and alleged that her politics had discouraged investors. “I would request the former chief minister to come and see this plant.
She often branded Hindi-speaking businessmen, particularly Marwaris, as outsiders. She should come and see who is investing in Bengal,” he said. Claiming that industries had begun returning only after the change in government, Adhikari alleged that many investors had earlier planned to shift to neighbouring Odisha because of corruption and an adverse business climate. “Had there not been a change in government, all these investments would have gone to Odisha. Investors are returning because the situation has changed,” he claimed.
The remarks marked the BJP government’s latest attempt to contrast its industrial policy with that of the previous TMC dispensation, which the saffron party has consistently blamed for driving away industries since Tata Motors’ exit from Singur. Industries Minister Tapas Roy sharpened that attack further, accusing the previous government of neglecting industrial development for years. “After taking charge as industries minister, I realised I had virtually become a startup minister because nothing had been left behind. Decades of neglect have hurt Bengal. The previous government did nothing for industry.
The relationship between this government and industrialists is one of partnership, not master and servant,” Roy said. The Shyam Steel expansion follows recent investment announcements, including projects at Dankuni and by Lux Cozi, and forms part of the BJP government’s effort to signal a revival of industrial activity in the state after taking office in May this year following its victory over the 15-year-old TMC regime.
