The verbal duel between several Ministers of the Trinamool Congress government and Ratan Tata, over the latter’s comments on the state of industrialisation here, has hopefully come to an end, but not before providing a backdrop to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s maiden trip overseas to woo investment.
A week from now the Chief Minister is scheduled to leave for Singapore, taking with her a clutch of city industrialists, at least three Ministers, and some of her key bureaucrats.
Announcing her first such trip after taking over the State’s reins, she said recently that while there were invitations from many places, she would go to Singapore on August 17 with a business delegation as Bengal had the potential to become the gateway to the north-east, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal.
“Investments could come to the State from other Asian countries too as West Bengal is now the destination for industry in general and eco-friendly projects in particular,” she said.
There are skilled people available at competitive costs to industry.
Enquiries revealed that Ms. Banerjee and her team would woo investment in the IT and ITes sector, in eco-tourism, municipal waste-management, education and in the financial sector.
Cabinet colleagues accompanying her are Industry and Finance Minister Amit Mitra, Power Minister Manish Gupta, and Education Minister Partha Chatterjee.
The State’s apex industry promotion agency West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation has sent out invites to the presidents of all the city chambers of commerce and associations besides some important city-based industrialists.
It is not without reason that Ms. Banerjee chose Singapore as her first destination for wooing foreign capital. After all, Changi Airports International that invests and manages airports worldwide has already checked into the State via the upcoming airport city project.
Initiated during the rule of the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government, the project is nearing completion now after hitting many hurdles. Key Changi officials met the Chief Minister last month passing on a government invitation to visit Singapore.
Sections of industry said while it is true that this government has begun to put in place transparent systems in place aimed at making business easy, it also remains a fact that intra-party rivalry among construction syndicates allegedly run by Trinamool men if allowed to go unchecked might ruin much of the government’s plan to woo business.
