ASSAM Government and the industry association of the region have voiced strong protest against the bid to include North Bengal area of West Bengal in North Eastern Council (NEC), which is the nodal planning agency to fund development projects in the region. Asks Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi: “How can you do it (including North Bengal in NEC)? It is not a separate State, like other NEC members. The Federation of Industries and Commerce of North Eastern Region (FINER) also sees no justification. “North Bengal has not yet been bifurcated from West Bengal, though there has been a demand and as such cannot qualify for inclusion”, the trade chambers said in a statement. The FINER points out: Government of India’s New Industrial Policy for North Eastern Region vide its office Memorandum No. EA/12/96- IPD dated the 24 December, 1997 clearly states that “In view of the continuing backwardness of the North East Region, the need for a new and synergic incentive package was widely felt to stimulate development of industries”.

This very statement is cause for disqualification of North Bengal’s inclusion as West Bengal is definitely not industrially backward. It is not out of bounds of the mainstream market. FINER has its own fear too for the opposition. “The inclusion of North Bengal in the ambit of NEC and subsequently in the benefits offered by the North Eastern Industrial Policy due to its backwardness and strategic location would sound the death knell for industries in the region. There will be large exodus of industries from the region to North Bengal as the area is within the mainstream and the market is closer and easily accessible. This would end up in total chaos and all efforts made by the Central Government towards uplift of the region would go down the drain and entrepreneurship would be compelled to declare insolvency.”

The repercussions of such a move would be much worse than opening up of the same incentives that were special to the North Eastern Region to Jammu & Kashmir, Uttaranchal, Kutch and Himachal Pradesh. These States are very far away from this region and yet they are close to the mainstream market. Crore of investments intended for the region have already been diverted to these regions as the same facilities were opened with the added benefit of close proximity to the market.

FINER called upon all national industry association such as FICCI, CII and ICC to join hands in opposing the entry of North Bengal move. It also appealed to the Chief Ministers of the region, members of    the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to rise to the occasion and prevent ‘such a diabolic and unjust move’. It has called upon the people of the region to be prepared for a mass agitation, if necessary on the issue. 

Other industry bodies like NECCI, AASSIA, NESSIA and PINE have since registered their strong opposition to include North Bengal in the NEC.

| Assam | North East Enquirer (Headlines) | Nena Home Page |