Bengal infrastructure drive - Projects announced with eye on elections

TT, Calcutta, Sept. 15: The Mamata Banerjee government has decided to spend Rs 12,180 crore to develop infrastructure across the state in next three years in a move, officials have said, aimed at wooing the electorate ahead of a series of polls starting next year.

"We will build roads, bridges, flyovers and power projects with the funds across the state. It will help us draw investment to the state," the chief minister said at Nabanna today.

According to sources, the Bengal government had allotted Rs 20,155.61 crore to various departments for developing infrastructure in the 2017-18 budget, but a large number of departments could not utilise major portions of the funds till the end of the second quarter of the financial year.

"The unspent funds which the departments could not utilise will be taken back and then canalised to the synchronised infrastructure development plan, which will be monitored by a committee led by the chief secretary," said a senior government official.

At a recent administrative review meeting, the chief minister had revealed that more than 20 departments had failed to utilise even 15 per cent of the funds allotted to them.

The government realised that the departments would not be able to spend more than 40 per cent of their budgetary allocation by the end of the financial year. It led the government to work out an alternative plan to utilise the funds.

"The finance department has already asked all such departments to return unspent funds lying with them. It is expected that a kitty of Rs 10,000 crore could be developed with the funds returned by various departments. So, implementing the development projects will not be a problem," said a finance department official.

A section of officials said the execution of the projects in a planned way would boost state's infrastructure.

"So far, the state government had been spending heavily on developing krishak bazaars, industrial training institutes in every block or marketing centres for the unemployed. But a majority of the buildings are lying unused because of lack of demand. The spending on infrastructure projects like roads and bridges will help the state," said an official.

A senior bureaucrat said the launch of a large number of infrastructure projects could help the ruling party in the forthcoming elections.

"Starting from 2018, the ruling party will face polls to panchayats, Lok Sabha and the Calcutta Municipal Corporation in three consecutive years. Development projects often help ruling parties in retaining their support base," said the bureaucrat.

Another official said the government was now focussing on drawing investment.

The state has already persuaded Infosys to take up its project at Rajarhat. Besides, the government has offered all possible assistance to Aramco, a Saudi Arabia-based oil company, to set up a refinery in Bengal.

"Things have started moving and we want to develop our infrastructure so that major industries could be attracted," said the official.