Kolkata, May 12 (IANS) Samik Bhattacharya, the state president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal and a member of the Rajya Sabha, has suggested that the new regime in the state may alter the land policy to encourage investments.

“During the last 15 years of the Trinamool Congress regime in the state, there has not been even a single new investment. On the contrary, the industrialists and businessmen from West Bengal chose to park their investments in other states. The previous state government refused to even extend the slightest cooperation to industrialists to attract big-ticket investment. But the new state government will do all that is necessary to attract investments. What is urgently required now is a change in the land policy in the state to facilitate investment,” Bhattacharya said while addressing a gathering of businessmen at the Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry here on Tuesday.

To recall, after coming to power in 2011 by ending the decades-old Left Front regime, the Trinamool Congress, led by Mamata Banerjee, had refused any state role in land procurement for big industries.

The prior government’s decision faced criticism from industry professionals and economic analysts, who argued that such a policy would discourage investment in the manufacturing sector. In spite of these negative assessments, Mamata Banerjee remained resolute in her stance against permitting the state administration to engage in land procurement for industrial purposes.

And now the state BJP president’s observation at the chamber of commerce meeting on Tuesday creates hopes of change in the state’s land policy to attract big-ticket investment.

Speaking at the chamber of commerce meeting, the state BJP president also observed that the constantly deteriorating law and order situation in the state during the previous Trinamool Congress regime was yet another disincentive for industrialists to invest in the state.

“But I want to assure you that the situation will improve in the new regime. I want to make it clear that since I am not a functionary in the new state government, I am not telling these on behalf of the state government. But still, I want to assure that the new state government will do all that is necessary to attract investment and hence ensure employment generation. Previously, there was an ambience of fear which made the industrialist hesitant to make investments in the state. But that ambience of fear is over now, and hence I am sure that industrialists now will invest in West Bengal without any fear,” Bhattacharya said.

–IANS

src/dpb