Kolkata: In a move aimed at resolving land issues holding up industrial projects, the Bengal cabinet on Wednesday proposed leasehold allotment of land in eight industrial parks under West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation Ltd (WBIDCL) to 24 industrial units. The parcels cover 463.1 acres and 6,397.2 sq ft.It also proposed leasehold allotment of land in four industrial parks under West Bengal Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (WBIIDC) to nine private companies. The 12 parks together cover 33 industrial units and are expected to generate 68,584 jobs.The state also approved direct buy of land for several long-pending projects. It will buy 1,592.8 decimals of Raiyati land in the Sundarbans for Rs 3.1 crore for flood-protection works, including embankments, ring bundhs and sluice gates.It will buy 13 decimals in Howrah for Rs 67.2 lakh for de-siltation and beautification of Mahisdhara Khal on Andul Road.For two pump houses under the Ghatal Master Plan, the state will acquire 3.58 acres for Rs 24.6 crore.The approvals came two days after CM Suvendu Adhikari said the BJP govt would not pursue forcible land acquisition. Instead, it would consider land-purchase models used in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, under which farmers are made partners. Adhikari had also said employment generation, rather than investment size alone, would determine industrial incentives.The cabinet cleared two land-resumption proposals. These include 118.4 acres at Sankos Tea Garden in Alipurduar, lying unused due to erosion by the Sankos river, and 0.7 acres at Chamurchi Tea Garden in Jalpaiguri, to be handed over to the Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau for a frontier check post and OCR Complex.It also proposed perpetual transfer of 13.9 acres of vested govt land across eight mouzas in Habibpur block to the 88 Battalion BSF under the Union home ministry for an IBB road and border fencing along the India-Bangladesh border in Malda.The cabinet amended the Tea Tourism and Allied Business Policy, 2019, halving the area that can be used for tea tourism and allied activities to 15% of the total granted area, subject to a maximum of 150 acres, citing environmental concerns.Other decisionsThe cabinet approved an Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), including four specialised police stations in Durgapur, Malda, Kharagpur and Nadia, and 591 new posts.It also approved the formation of the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), West Bengal, with 461 regular posts and five contractual software developer positions.In compliance with a Calcutta High Court order, the cabinet also decided to withdraw 1,600 supernumerary posts in physical education and work education created by the previous govt.
