In an effort to woo investors in North Bengal, the West Bengal government has readied a roadmap on business opportunities in the region. The North Bengal Development Minister, Mr Gautam Deb, on Saturday unveiled a report on key opportunities and action plans for short-term and long-term growth in the region, according to release by Indian Chamber of Commerce.
He was attending a seminar on growth opportunities in North Bengal organised jointly by Indian Chamber of Commerce and Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA) in Siliguri.
Mr Deb pointed out that plenty of opportunities were awaiting investors in North Bengal and the region was bound to “witness a sea-change” in the coming years. He pointed out that the government had already taken up many initiatives including expansion of roadways. While the government was hopeful to see a boom in tourism sector, plans were afoot to develop IT & ITes and manufacturing industries in the region, he added.
According to state agriculture marketing minister, Mr Arup Roy, there were opportunities for investors to tap the ‘rich agricultural basket' with varieties of aromatic rice, orchid, pineapple, tomato etc. Mr Roy emphasised on improving infrastructure for profitable agriculture and invited the private stakeholders to set up cold storages and Kisan mandis (markets for farmers) across convenient locations in North Bengal.
Mr Harshvardhan Neotia, chairman, Ambuja Realty Group, urged all stakeholders to “unlock the huge opportunities that lie untapped in tea, timber, tourism, financial services, retail, real estate and education.
Meanwhile, the SJDA has prepared a blueprint for growth envisioning 2025 with UNICEF Fund and IIT Kharagpur's support, according to Mr Rudra Nath Bhattacharya, chairman, SJDA. Mr. Bhattacharya pointed out that Siliguri was holding bountiful economic opportunities with a faster rate of urbanisation compared to other areas in North Bengal.
While the tourism sector should be focused, ensuring a smooth border trades with other states and countries was crucial for growth in North Bengal, pointed out Mr Debashish Sen, secretary, Department of Urban Development and Town and Country Planning, West Bengal.