Kolkata: Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya on Thursday urged CM Suvendu Adhikari to pursue Centre’s chemical parks scheme, calling it a “rare opportunity” to revive large-scale industrialisation in Bengal.In a letter to the CM, Bhattacharya suggested that Singur be pitched as a preferred location for the chemical park given its historical and logistical compatibility, adding that Haldia, Raghunathpur and Durgapur could also be considered as alternatives.Earlier this month, the Centre brought a proposal for the Bharat Industrial Development Yojana Rasayan (Bhavya Rasayan) scheme. The Union cabinet, on July 24, approved Rs 3,030 crore for three chemical parks in the country.Under the scheme, the Centre would provide financial assistance of up to Rs 1,000 crore for each park and the respective state govt would contribute Rs 500 crore each. Each park will need at least 2,000 acres of contiguous land free from legal disputes.Bhattacharya, in his letter to the CM, said: “The proposed chemical park can become a major catalyst for industrial growth. The state should not allow this opportunity to pass and must immediately identify suitable land and submit its proposal.”“With the Centre and state together creating infrastructure worth at least Rs 1,500 crore, the project can attract significant private investment and generate employment across multiple sectors,” the BJP state president wrote.He added that the benefits of getting a chemical park in the state would extend beyond the chemical industry to construction, logistics, MSMEs, textiles, pharmaceuticals, electronics, agriculture and the automobile sector.In his letter, copies of which were also shared with finance minister Swapan Dasgupta and industry minister Tapas Roy, Bhattacharya proposed that an inter-departmental task force be set up to prepare an application and coordinate clearances.
