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West Bengal to select site for chemical hub in a month

KOLKATA: A site for the proposed chemical hub in West Bengal – a project which has assumed a central position in the State’s industrialisation drive – is likely to be selected within a month. The services of the consultancy agency, Mott MacDonald, have been sought for identifying possible locations.

An earlier proposal for setting up the chemical hub in the Nandigram area of the State’s Purbo Medinipur district had to be jettisoned in the face of violent protests by a section of the local people.

The future of the project was discussed at a meeting between Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Benny Santoso, chief executive of the Salim Group, here on Thursday. The Indonesian conglomerate is the principal constituent of a consortium that is to set up the chemical hub. Industries Minister, Nirupam Sen, was also present. Prasoon Mukherjee, local partner of Salim Group, later said that “the government has clearly said and we have clearly accepted that the chemical hub will not be set up at Nandigram”.

The Government will inform the Group of alternative sites for the hub “we will conduct a feasibility study on the locations proposed to us,” he added. “Only after the feasibility study is done can we decide…and make sure that we can set up the project at the proposed site”, Mr. Mukherjee said.

Mott MacDonald will be asked to identify two or three possible locations for the project after which it will be left to the Government to decide, official sources said.

Earlier this week, Mr Bhattacharjee sent letters to all political parties stating that he intends to call an all-party meeting shortly for talks on setting up of the chemical hub. A special committee will be constituted for advice on the proposed project whose environmental aspects will also be looked into. He has been reiterating his government’s intention to seek a political consensus on the project and its location.

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West Bengal to select site for chemical hub in a month

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