Aware that land availability will be among the key deciding factors in attracting investments to West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tried to woo prospective investors in Singapore, saying that while her government was against forcible land acquisition, it has put in place alternate land policies and a land bank.
She was addressing a summit at Singapore where she is leading a business delegation.
The land issue had featured prominently during her interaction with the Singapore Premier on Tuesday too.
Ms Banerjee said the West Bengal government would set up a nodal office of WBIDC (West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation) in Singapore to facilitate investments.
“If you consider the Look East Policy, Kolkata is the nearest to Singapore and that's why we feel there are opportunities of partnership,” she said.
“Changi Airport has already invested in the construction of an airport in Bengal. We propose to set up a Business Focus Centre in Kolkata to promote industry, which will coordinate business activities between the State and Singapore,” she said.
The Changi Airports International of Singapore marked the occasion by announcing a hike in its stake from 26 per cent to 32.2 per cent in the airport-city project that it is
co-promoting in Andal near Durgapur in West Bengal. The project is under implementation.
“We have decided to start a chair at Calcutta University named after former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew,” Ms Banerjee said.”
