Kolkata: The Bengal govt has identified over 5,000 acres of land lying idle with central public sector undertakings, most of which have shut down, and wants to include them in its land bank to facilitate rapid industrialisation in the state, officials said.The govt is planning to approach respective ministries for release of these land parcels.The move assumes significance following a recent statement by state finance minister Swapan Dasgupta that govt’s current land bank is not enough to usher in industrialisation at the desired pace. He had earlier said the state govt was considering steps to free up land occupied by closed factories.Hindustan Cables Ltd, Hindustan Fertiliser and MAMC are among the closed PSUs on whose land the state wants to set up industry. Govt is also eyeing 600 acres of NTPC land in Katwa. “The land acquired for NTPC in Katwa remains unused,” an official said.The Hindustan Cables land at Rupnarayanpur in West Bardhaman is spread across 900 acres, while MAMC and Hindustan Fertilizer occupy large chunks in Durgapur and Haldia, respectively, where they ran manufacturing units. The Hindustan Cables unit in Rupnarayanpur was closed down over two decades ago.Minister Dasgupta had recently indicated that the state, if needed, would bring in legislation to free up land held by closed units. CM Suvendu Adhikari, too, has made it clear that his administration will not forcibly acquire land from farmers but purchase it and hand it over to industrial units, following the model adopted by Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.Bengal is set to have a land purchase policy and a land-pooling policy. “This approach is successful in many states and will be successful in Bengal as well,” Adhikari had earlier said.Land-pooling, economists say, is a voluntary industrial development model where private landowners contribute a portion of their land for infrastructure development and, in return, receive smaller, fully serviced plots of significantly higher market value elsewhere. This policy avoids forced displacement and legal delays.To adopt a land-pooling policy, govt might move a proposal to amend Section 14Y of West Bengal Land Reforms Act, 1955, in the winter session of the assembly. To facilitate industrialisation, sources said, the state might withdraw the provision under which investors have to seek “prior approval from the govt” to buy ceiling-surplus land.
