Govt land chosen for silk park in Malda

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Aug 9: Having failed to acquire land required for the setting up of the proposed silk park here, the Malda district administration has finally decided to utilise 14 acres of the government land at Madhughat in Kaliachak I block. With this, the land hurdle for the proposed silk park seems to be over.The decision was taken at a meeting held recently as a follow up to the proposal adopted on 9 April by minister Mr Manab Mukherjee. The sericulture department at Madhughat has been unable to revive the silk yarn producing unit ever since it was closed down in 1995-96 owing to labour disputes and financial losses. The unit was set up in the sixties under the auspices of the then chief minister, Bidhan Chandra Roy. At the meeting, it was decided that the park would initially be set up on 14 acres of land and additional land, if required, would be acquired subject to availability. The fact that there are huge mango orchards, near the state filature, on the bank of the Bhagirati river has been noted in this regard. The district officials expect departmental officials to come up with ways to implement the project at a deputy directors’ level meeting in Kolkata to be held on 23 and 24 August. Officials of a consultancy firm recently met the Malda district magistrate, Mr CR Das and sabhadhipati of the Malda Zilla Parishad, Mr Goutam Chakraborty, seeking help to conduct a survey in the district to judge the prospects and the potential of a silk park. The district officials reportedly heard the consultancy officials seriously and sought suggestions from them for the setting up of the much-talked-about silk park here.