Chemical hub to be set up in Haldia

PROGRESS ON: Haldia is the new site for the proposed chemical hub.

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Keywords: Proposed Land, Haldia

New Delhi: The West Bengal Chief Minister along with senior Politburo leader Sitaram Yechuri met Sonia Gandhi and the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh - and the agenda was Nandigram and the question of land for SEZs.

While the West Bengal Chief Minister has said that there will be no chemical hub at Nandigram, indications are that it will be set up in Haldia.

The clashes at Nandigram have only stalled the industrialisation of West Bengal - not stopped it. That is the message from a key member of the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Cabinet.

West Bengal Industry Minister Nirupam Sen said, “All those projects that are in the pipeline are going in full swing. I don’t think that will affect the industrialisation process as such.”

The Left Front government in Bengal having learnt its lesson the hard way from the Nandigram episode is keen to move ahead. The chemical hub won't come up at Nandigram but in Haldia.

“In Kolkata it is not possible. Therefore if we have to get chemical hub it will be in and around Haldia,” Sen added.

All roads seem to leading to Haldia. Its the site of a port - a deep sea port has been sanctioned there. Its also the terminus of the dedicated freight corridor. So it makes complete economic logic to set up the hub there.

Sources say the state government was also considering Rajarhat a new township outside Kolkata as a possible site for the hub but Rajarhat lost out because it is too close to the Calcutta Airport and that was considered unsafe. Also chemical hubs are best situated near sea ports.

Sen said, “It will be around Haldia no doubt about it because chemical hub should come along the port that is the way government of India has taken a policy.”

The state government will announce this decision shortly hoping it will put an end to one of the biggest controversies to haunt Left ruled Bengal in recent times.