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Our Bureau

Part of Commerce Ministry's Rs 72-cr scheme for Bengal

Kolkata , Jan. 10

The Ministry of Commerce and the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority together propose to create storage facility for agricultural commodities at the Haldia dock to expedite exports.

Giving this information here on Wednesday, Mr Jairam Ramesh, Union Minister of State for Commerce, told newspersons that the proposed project would be part of Rs 72-crore scheme on the anvil for West Bengal under his Ministry.

The other components of the scheme would include launching cold storage facilities at the airports of Kolkata and Bagdogra, pineapple auction and post harvest centre in north Bengal, floriculture market in Mullickghat in Kolkata and potato marketing centre in Burdwan.

Locations

The Commerce Ministry, he said, had also identified three locations in West Bengal, all border points with Bangladesh, for creating integrated land customs facilities at a cost of Rs 200 crore.

While the work on the project at Petrapole (bordering Bangladesh) would be taken up in the first phase along with similar other projects in Bihar (Raxaul bordering Nepal), Punjab (Wagah bordering Pakistan) and Manipur (bordering Myanmar), the work on two other projects in the State at Hilli (West Dinajpore district) and Changrabandha (Cooch Behar district) would be taken up in the second phase.

Consultant

Rites Ltd, the subsidiary of the Indian Railways, had been appointed the consultant to the first phase projects and would hopefully submit its report within 15 months, he said.

Mr Ramesh met the West Bengal Chief Minister, Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, earlier in the day to apprise him of the projects being implemented in the State under his Ministry.

The Chief Minister urged him to develop the infrastructure also at Phulbari in north Bengal, another border point with Bangladesh.

"I've assured him to consider upgrading facilities at Phulbari but in the second phase," he said.

In reply to a question he said, he saw no reason why the State Government should acquire lands for handing them over to private entrepreneurs for commercial use.

"Let the entrepreneurs themselves talk to landowners, pay the market price and acquire the lands," he observed.

He conceded that the issue of Singur and Nandigram came up for review at his meeting with the Chief Minister.

"Singur has to be on the fast track as it is critical not only for the State but also for the entire eastern region but Nandigram can wait," he observed.

More Stories on : Storage | Shipping | West Bengal

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