DIDI ANNOUNCES GAS PIPELINE PROJECT

A day before her party goes to observe the Trinamool Congress Martyrs’ Day which is

expected to be a mega event drawing several lakh crowds, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata

Banerjee declared her Government’s plans to supply piped cooking gas to State households.

The project is likely to be completed in another three years’ time will start in Kolkata and

adjoining areas the Chief Minister said adding this will reduce the excessive dependence on

LPG supplies.

The Gas Authority of India Limited has expressed its keenness to be a part of the project, the

Chief Minister said. While GAIL will be entrusted with the job of completing the project H-

Energy another company may be given the task of transmission, she said.

The Greater Calcutta Gas Supply Corporation Limited, GAIL and HPCL had signed an MoU in

2011for formation of a special purpose vehicle to construct, lay, develop and operate a city

gas distribution network in the State, sources said adding the declaration made by the Chief

Minister is a continuation of that scheme.

Banerjee who roared back to power with a thumping majority and whose Government had

taken a lot of flak for flight of industry from the State during Trinamool regime also

announced the formation of an umbrella body to facilitate investment in the State.

The CM on Tuesday declared the formation of an Industrial Investment Promo-tion Board

which she said will function as an umbrella body of all industry-related works.

The organisation will meet every week and report to the Chief Minister about investment-

related issues. It will have in its board the departmental secretaries of Finance, Commerce,

IT, Land and Land Revenue, Fisheries etc.

Soon after coming back to power for the second time the Chief Minister has been

proactively trying to attract investment and create an investment-friendly image for her

Government. One step towards this direction has been strong actions taken by the police

against the syndicate mafia that had been operating throughout the State extracting money

from the investors and forcing them to flee the State.

According to sources at least 50 people including a Trinamool Congress councilor have been

arrested in the past one week on charges of extortion. “We hope this will spruce up the

State’s image,” a senior Minister said.

NGS INDIA