The Mamata Banerjee government on Thursday said it expected an investment of ₹10,000 crore in the Karmadiganta Calcutta Leather Complex and the
creation of about 2.5 lakh employment opportunities in the near future.

“The chief minister held a review meeting on Karmadiganta on Thursday. It was revealed during the meeting that the leather complex would get an investment of ₹10,000 crore and as a result, another 2.5 lakh employment opportunities would be generated there,” Alapan Bandyopadhyay, the chief advisor to the chief minister, said at Nabanna on Thursday.

He said 187 more tanneries and 139 more footwear manufacturing units were expected to come up in the complex in the near future.

According to Nabanna sources, the complex spread over 1,150 acres already houses 500 tanneries and leather manufacturing units. A total of five lakh people work in the complex.

“If another 2.5 lakh employment opportunities are generated, the total number of people working in the complex would reach 7.5 lakh,” said a senior government official.

The government has also decided to promote the products of leather manufacturing units located in the leather complex in an apparent bid to attract more investments to the complex.

“The Hidco would set up a leather and cottage industry mall in front of the museum set up on the land where the Alipore Correctional home was located. In that mall, 50 per cent of the space will be allotted to the leather manufacturing units of Karmadiganta,” said Bandyopadhyay at Nabanna.

Sources in the government said the possibility of fresh investment and generation of more employment opportunities in the leather complex had given relief to the state as it was trying hard to create jobs after this particular area remained an Achilles’ heel for the Trinamool Congress-led dispensation.

“The chief minister had promised to create one crore employment opportunities in the state ahead of the 2021 Assembly polls. But so far, no big-ticket investment has been attracted. Against this backdrop, the possibility of generating 2.5 lakh jobs in the leather complex is encouraging,” said a source.