Bengal will be sought after industrial destination in India: Mamata
The Statesman | 28 January 2026
Bengal will be the industrial destination of the country soon because of remarkable infrastructure development and peaceful environment, said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday.
She was addressing a gathering of industrialists after she virtually inaugurated the upgraded an electric crematorium at Shiriti in south Kolkata and laid the foundation of an electric crematorium in Doi Ghat.
The Chief Minister said: “It is our duty to ensure peace in Bengal. People from different communities live here for generations happily and peacefully. We are going to protect peace and ensure prosperity of Bengal.”
Miss Banerjee said from 2011 when she took over as the Chief Minister, no industrial strike took place in the state. “Earlier, 72 lakh mandays had been lost due to strikes. We are against strikes and the industrial scenario has improved in Bengal. If you go along the national highway from Kolkata to Durgapur you will find how many new industries have come up on both sides of the road. We have cement and steel industry, wagon and coach manufacturing units and IT industry. Once the industrial corridors are built, more industries will come up. Bengal is the gateway to the north east. We have industrial parks and more will come up in future,” she said.
Miss Banerjee said there has been a marked improvement in infrastructure development. “New roads and bridges have been set up and this has improved communication by road. Once the bridge at Gangasagar is constructed, visiting the holy place will not be a problem at all,” she maintained.
She said in the past few years religious places across Bengal have been upgraded. “We have constructed sky walks in Kalighat and Dakshineswar. The idol of Lord Shiva that will be installed at the proposed Mahakal temple in North Bengal will be the tallest in the world. Durga Prangan at New Town will attract tourists. Jagantah Dham at Digha has attracted tourists across the globe. It has rejuvenated the economic health of Digha and its neighbourhood. We have set up gates near mosques. The Gurdwaras and Jain temples have also been developed.”
Miss Banerjee said the places of cremation of all the communities have been developed. “Earlier, in the villages there were no proper place to cremate bodies and people left the bodies half burnt. Now, 700 sites have been developed to cremate bodies. The state government has started the Samabyathi scheme where Rs 2,000 is given to poor people to cremate their near and dear ones. The burial grounds have also been upgraded.”
Miss Banerjee thanked the business community for their constant support to make the state economically strong. “If you face any problem do not hesitate to get in touch with us and we will try to sort out the problem,” she assured.