The Hindu : National : West Bengal hands over land for chemical hub

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West Bengal hands over land for chemical hub

Special Correspondent

KOLKATA: Marking an important step in its plans to set up a chemical hub in the State, the West Bengal government on Friday handed over a ‘certificate of possession’ to P.C. Ray Chemicals Private Limited for conducting studies to set up a petrochemical hub on the Nayachar island.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said he got a positive response from Union Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister Ramvilas Paswan on the project. “We were asked to identify a location and we have done so. I had a talk with him and his response was positive,” Mr. Bhattacharjee said adding he had held talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh too.

The State government had proposed to set up the Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemicals Industry Region (PCPIR) at Nandigram but changed the venue following opposition from the locals.

State Industries Minister Nirupam Sen said Nayachar was chosen “on the basis of an all-party meeting.”

Mr. Sen said it was decided to name the company after Bengal’s great pioneer academic-entrepreneur Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray, who laid the foundation for many pharmaceutical and chemical business units.

While the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation would hold 49 per cent share in the joint venture company, the majority share (51 per cent) would be held by the New Kolkata Infrastructure Development Company in which the Salim group is a partner. Prasun Mukherjee, whose Universal Success is also a partner in the NKID, was present when the certificate of possession was handed over.

Mr. Mukherjee said the Jurong Town Corporation was appointed consultant for carrying out studies. A master plan would be made after soil tests. It would take two years to conduct the feasibility study.

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