Big plans for Siliguri

Siliguri, Dec. 23: A biotech institute, an engineering college and a multi-speciality hospital were some of the proposed projects that Bengal urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya pulled out of his hat today as his gifts to the residents of the town two days before Christmas.

“We have a proposal from the Techno India Group for a biotech college near Fulbari where the biotech hub of the Videocon group will come up,” the minister said at a news conference at the PWD inspection bungalow this afternoon. “Courses in biotechnology, molecular biology and genetic engineering will be taught at the institution.”

Bhattacharya added that Delhi Public School Society “has decided to raise an engineering college and has already acquired land for this purpose”.

The minister quickly moved on to healthcare. “The R.N. Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences of Calcutta is planning to build an 800-bed multi-speciality hospital in Siliguri,” he said. The institute located at E.M. Bypass in Calcutta is run by Asia Heart Foundation and led by well-known heart surgeon Devi Shetty.

Bhattacharya was not finished, however. “Some film actors from Tollygunge are planning a Film City in or around Siliguri,” he said. “They had approached me and discussions are on.”

Another proposed project took a step towards realisation today as the Siliguri-Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA) handed over a 25-acre plot to the Videocon Group at Fulbari. The company has decided to come up with an IT and IT-enabled services hub at the site.

“We will soon hand over another 25 acres where the company will build a biotechnology park,” said Bhattacharya, who is also the chairman of the SJDA.

Gautam Sengupta, the vice-president of Videocon, signed the deed of transfer of lease of the land on behalf of the company.

“We plan to start construction by January next year and complete the IT & ITES hub in a year. The biotech park will take at least a couple of years to build. The total investment in these two projects will be around Rs 200 crore while 20,000-25,000 people are expected to get employment,” said Sengupta.

“We will recruit from north Bengal and not from outside as we feel that there are prospective candidates here with the necessary acumen,” the vice-president added.