CM Mamata Banerjee begins three-day North Bengal tour with business meet

 Banerjee made a series of announcements to bolster the economic growth of northern districts of West Bengal

Niladry Sarkar, TW, May 19, 2025 :  West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday reached North Bengal for a three-day tour. She began her trip by attending the North Bengal Business Meet, 2025, in Siliguri where she made a series of announcements to bolster the economic growth of northern districts of West Bengal.

On Tuesday, the chief minister is scheduled to attend a government public service distribution programmme at Fulbari in Jalpaiguri. On Wednesday, she will chair an important administrative meeting at Uttarkanya, the state secretariat in North Bengal.

While the West Bengal government hosts the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) every year in Kolkata to promote industrial development across West Bengal, the North Bengal meet has been organised to focus on accelerating industrial growth particularly in the northern region.

The chief minister declared that the West Bengal government is set to launch Volvo bus services from six districts of North Bengal to the coastal town of Digha in the South Bengal district of Purba Medinipur where the state has recently inaugurated the Jagannath Dham temple.

“We think about North Bengal too and that’s why we’ve taken this initiative,” CM Banerjee said during the business meet, where industrialists, entrepreneurs and representatives of several trade associations from eight North Bengal districts participated in a series of discussions and open-forum meetings.

The chief minister highlighted the state's readiness to support industry in the north, saying, “The government has its own land bank for industrial use and a large pool of skilled workers. We are giving equal importance to both large-scale and small-scale industries.”

Additionally, CM Banerjee announced that a circuit bench of the Calcutta High Court in Jalpaiguri district is likely to be inaugurated in July. The state has spent Rs 501 crore on the project.

Discussions during the day focused on several issues including tourism development, tea industry expansion, and creating industrial parks. Talking about the tourism industry around Darjeeling, she said the iconic hill town has become overcrowded.

“Create a new Darjeeling. Also expand Kalimpong and Kurseong. You have to take the initiative, and we will support you,” the chief minister told the industry stakeholders.

She also voiced concern over the declining fate of the Darjeeling tea industry. While not naming Nepal directly, she pointed to a neighbouring country allegedly involved in importing low-cost tea and falsely selling it under the Darjeeling label.

 Genuine Darjeeling tea, she noted, is also being mixed with tea from that country.

“I won’t name the country, but I’m aware of what’s happening. They’re using the brand name while mixing in inferior quality. We've already formed a task force to investigate the matter,” she said.

CM Banerjee was also seen attacking the BJP and the left parties indirectly. She claimed that the saffron party is unaware of Bengal’s true identity and culture and emphasised individual freedom in matters of religion, food, and clothing. She also dismissed left parties’ protests and strikes as unproductive.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari on Monday also reached North Bengal where he will take part in several party events, including the Tiranga Yatra. He took a jibe at the chief minister saying, she is on a recreational tour.

“The queen is on a tour in North where the weather is very good. One moment it’s raining and suddenly the sun is shining brightly,” he told the media at Bagdogra airport.