Bengal industries minister Shashi Panja on Thursday said the state will look to offer land on a freehold basis as a first option to industry, having received an encouraging response after the government introduced the policy for the conversion of land from leasehold to freehold.
"Those who are now applying, the first option that goes to them is whether they would take it on a freehold basis. Those who are already existing are being encouraged or motivated (to convert).... but it is their decision," the minister said at a CII organised event.
The minister indicated that while nine freehold proposals under the industries department have received cabinet nod, based on discussion with the land department, the aggregate number of land holding given on a freehold basis is around 35. "This is very encouraging from an ease of doing business perspective," she said.
The state government has introduced a policy for the conversion of the status of land from leasehold to freehold for government land given on lease to enable existing leaseholders to become owners on the payment of conversion fees.
In the last state budget, the government announced that the policy for conversion of leasehold land to freehold will be extended to all government departments, including urban and rural local bodies.
The minister further said that the state has developed and made available a total of 1,739.204 acres of land through nine new industrial areas in the districts of Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Howrah, Nadia, South 24 Parganas and Paschim Burdwan.
Bengal's gross state domestic productis estimated to grow 10.5 per cent for 2024-25 to Rs 18,79,453 crore from Rs 17,00,939 crore, the revised estimate of 2023-24.
