The Hindu Business Line : Don't make conversion of agricultural lands a political issue: FICCI

The Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has urged political parties in West Bengal not to make the State Government's strategy to convert a portion of agricultural land for industrial use, as a political issue. The persistent agitation against land allocation to industries may not only affect the inflow of fresh investment in the State but some of the willing investors may shift to other destinations.

The Chairman of FICCI-Eastern Regional Council, Mr C.K. Dhanuka, said the State Government should allocate at least one per cent of the total agricultural land of about 136 lakh acres in the state for the manufacturing and service sector. Seventy per cent of the land deployed for industrial use should be from single crop land and 30 per cent from double crop land.

Maintaining growth

Even though the State was already self-sufficient in agriculture, it could increase productivity per acre and value-addition in agriculture would reduce pressure of land. This could be done even after maintain growth rate over 4-5 per cent in agriculture, while relocating agricultural land for industrial use.

Mr Dhanuka said land owners should be compensated in cash (2.5 times the market price of land) and an alternative land to be provided within a radius pf 25 km of their existing land. The exchanged land should not incur any registration charge or stamp duty.

He said investors' confidence for the State was at present all time high. This has reflected in consistent level of investments of over $479 million in each of the last five years.

The share of FDI in West Bengal as a proportion to all India FDI had jumped from 1.32 per cent in 3.23 per cent in 2005.

Therefore, buoyant industrial climate be maintained and incentives and commitments to industrialist be kept while maintaining interests of the farmers intact.

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