Representatives of a trade body on Friday said the Bengal government must provide land to entrepreneurs with a condition that investments needed to be made on the plots within a timeframe.

The move, they believe, will encourage early and appropriate use of the land, which is being provided for fresh private investments and create jobs. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has been focusing on job creation these days.

Rajeev Singh, the director general of the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC), who was here to attend the annual day of the north Bengal chapter of the trade body, said: “The government should hand over land with a clear instruction that the investor will have to develop the project within a timeframe. We always appreciate time-bound projects.”

He was answering a query made on the state’s decision to convert leasehold land into freehold land and also the initiative to take back unused land from tea estates. Ever since the state started reassuming land from tea gardens, a number of tea trade unions have said the government intends to provide such land to corporate houses.

“It would eventually affect the tea industry and thousands of workers,” a union leader has said. Singh, when mentioning the issue, pointed out that the state has drawn the policy while keeping in mind the interests of tea workers.

“We believe this exercise can optimise the use of land. Also, we want the state to provide land to only such entrepreneurs who are serious about making investments,” he said. Mehul Mohanka, the president of ICC, who was also present at the event, was appreciative of the state’s tea tourism policy that allows the use of 15 per cent land in any tea estate– subject to a maximum area of 150 acres.

Gautam Deb, the mayor of Siliguri, who attended the meet, underscored the infrastructure developments in north Bengal in recent years. “The government is also providing all necessary assistance to investors to explore the region’s potential and choose among sectors for investment, ranging from agricultural products to industrial items to health and hospitality,” he said.