[Assam] Rs 33,000 cr investment proposals for State: CM

[Buljit Buragohain]

Rs 33,000 cr investment proposals for State: CM

Staff reporter
 GUWAHATI, Sept 18 – Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today said that the investment climate in Assam witnessed a major change in the last few years and since 2006, the State Government received proposals for investments worth Rs 33068 crore in various sectors including a Rs 2600 crore paper project. Addressing a press conference here today, Gogoi said that the recently concluded 4th North East Business Summit was a “huge success”, which proved that the perception of the people on the situation in the State was changing. He revealed that around 1179 delegates including 97 foreign delegates participated in the summit and the North East region received 247 investment proposals during the summit itself, of which Assam received 88 investment proposals. He said that during the summit, he had talks with ambassadors and other officials and representatives of various countries and they have shown interest in investing in sectors like power, tourism,
 infrastructure, agro-based industry, food processing etc.

Gogoi said that he had long discussion with the Cambodian Commerce Minister on the steps taken by the Government of that country in dealing with flood and erosion. The Chief Minister is planning to visit Cambodia with a team of experts to see the situation on the ground.

The Chief Minister revealed that the State Government is making all out efforts to improve the infrastructure in the fields like roads, transport, rail and air connectivity, information technology etc. He said that two five star hotels would come up in the city as a part of infrastructure development. He said that he had reviewed the progress of setting up of the gas cracker project recently and hoped that the project would be completed on schedule. He revealed that the actual setting up of the project would start in November this year.

Gogoi revealed that the Tata Group has sought 750 acres of land for investment in education sector and the Government would provide the land in the proposed knowledge park near Guwahati. An Institute of Petroleum Technology would be set up in Sivasagar with assistance from the Government of India, while the State Government would soon constitute a skill development mission to create a pool of at least five lakh skilled persons for employment in India and abroad.

The Chief Minister also assured that the State Government would provide all required help for the investors and an investment cell has been set up for following up the investment proposals. 

However, Gogoi admitted that finding suitable plots of land is a challenge for the Government. He said that the Government would have to maintain a proper balance between agricultural land and land for industries. The Power and Industries Minister, Pradyut Bordoloi, who was also present in the press meet, said that the land of the industries, which have been closed down, could be used for setting up of new industries. He revealed that the Government now has a thousand acres of land readily available for new industries. 

Bordoloi said that power is also a major challenge as the power requirement for the State during the peak hours is now 900 MW and it would go up to 2600 MW by the year 2012. Replying to a question on the slow progress of setting up of a power plant by the NTPC in Bongaigaon, he said that he, along with the Union Minister of State for Power Jairam Ramesh would visit the plant on September 21 to review the progress on the ground.

Meanwhile, Gogoi also admitted that the progress of the National Highway project was slower than expected and said that he would himself review the progress with the National Highway Authority of India.

(The Assam Tribune,Friday, September 19,2008)


 
News from Asomiya Pratidin (19.09.2008)

http://goodnews.bihu.in/2417/ 


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