Haldia Haldia kicks off industrial revolution in Bengal

The chief minister Jyoti Basu, inaugurating the Rs 5,100-crore Haldia Petrochemical Limited project on Sunday, said that many industrialists were coming forward to take part in the downstream projects and that the state government was ready to welcome them.
The basic functioning of the Haldia project had started in the third week of February with the factory chimneys seeing smoke in a major way and the chief minister simply added a touch of occasion by formally unveiling the project on Sunday.
Recounting the history of hopes and despairs of the last two decades involving the project, Basu said that it was unfortunate that some vested interests in this state did not want the project to take off. The newspapers too did not have a good word for the project. He said that it was his fond hope that the media would not see merit in the project and write complimentary reports about its viability and better side.
Basu said that in a federal structure, it was unfortunate that a party inimical to the Left holding power at the Centre would work against the interests of a state like West Bengal but that this had been the precise case. ``This has been unfortunate but I must say that the Centre has always discriminated against the West Bengal government. Today is a happy day and I hate to say all this but this is a fact and it needs to be heard and told," the chief minister said.
Saying that he had no clue as to what cooperation his government would get from the 24-party coalition at the Centre, Basu said that this was unfortunate and narrow-minded politics at its worst.
Basu said that some families had been displaced by the project but that this had been inevitable. He also said that the Haldia project was the nation’s pride and not only limited to Bengal.``There will be more jobs once the downstream projects fall in place. We need to train the local people after which jobs will remain within the area and sons of the soil will get employment," he added.
Meanwhile, Haldia town was happy with excitement and newfound status. One of the main promoters of the project, Ratan Tata, was asked what his experience was like working with the state government. He said,``Excellent.’’ Another promoter Purnendu Chatterjee said that now he knew why Basu was hailed as the greatest chief minister of the country.