It is rare for the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal to boast of an industrial project in public. With most major projects such as JSW Steel’s steel and power project at Salboni and NTPC’s power project at Katwa hitting roadblocks under the current regime, government officials steer clear of listing these projects at public meetings.
Perhaps, the only exception is the Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Limited (BAPL)’s airport city project at Andal in Bardhaman district, in which Singapore’s Changi Airport holds 26 per cent stake. In recent times, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, state finance minister Amit Mitra and industries minister Partha Chatterjee have cited the example of the greenfield airport project at Andal to counter what the government terms a “media-created anti-industry image”.
Not that the Aerotropolis project hasn’t had its run-ins with the government. After coming to power, the Trinamool Congress government had unexpectedly announced another airport at Asansol (in the same district), questioning the viability and technical feasibility of the Aerotropolis project. Fortunately for BAPL, as with many other plans, the government didn’t take this forward.
07/02/13 Probal Basak/Business Standard
