Toyota & tourism plans in north

Siliguri, Feb. 12.TT: Automobile majors Toyota and Maruti and four tourism entrepreneurs have expressed interest in investing in north Bengal, industries minister Partha Chatterjee said here today.

“Toyota and Maruti have written to us, saying that they would like to set up logistic hubs in north Bengal. We are very glad at their intent. They want to set up spare parts manufacturing and other ancillary units in the region,” Chatterjee said.

Although Chatterjee refused to divulge where the hubs would come up, Maruti Suzuki had announced during the Bengal Leads summit last month that it would invest Rs 80 crore in the project at Siliguri’s Kanchenjungha Integrated Park. The park is a joint venture of the WBIIDC and Shristi Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd.

The minister said four tour operators had expressed their intent to invest in the region. “They want to set up eco-tourism centres in the Darjeeling hills. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee will disclose their names during her visit to Darjeeling on February 28,” Chatterjee said.

“We have taken several steps to utilise the agricultural products of north Bengal and its IT potential. We have identified four-five areas in the hills, where we plan to set up IT hubs. We have chosen the area because of good English communication skills of the youths here,” Chatterjee said.

The minister said the government also wanted to explore the scope of floriculture and medicinal plants in Kalimpong subdivision. “We will also open a jute hub in Cooch Behar,” he said.

At a CII symposium that he attended yesterday, the minister said the government was willing to explore the business potentiality of the region but it needed specific projects for it.

The minister today lashed out at the previous Left Front government for failing to develop the state industrially and neglecting the region. “The previous government got 4,710 projects and was able to execute only 833 of them.”

Earlier in the day, former municipal affairs minister Asok Bhattacharya said the present government was spending huge amounts on festivals instead of developing infrastructure.

“The chief minister is keen on organising Utsavs instead of developing the ailing Himul (Himalayan Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union Limited) or the transport corporations,” said Bhattacharya. He was referring to the 10-day north Bengal festival that Mamata Banerjee inaugurated in Siliguri on Friday.

“All I would like to say is that for 34 years they misused the government funds, which we are now trying to utilise through concrete projects,” said Chatterjee.