‘Time for state govt to hand over land for research’

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Jan 28: It's time for the state government to hand over the land selected in Malda to set up a research station for quality fruit production, the director of the Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture in Lucknow said today.

Dr BMC Reddy was addressing a workshop on Technology Gap Analysis Study for Food Processing Industry Cluster of Malda. He pointed out that the Centre had allotted Rs. 15 crore for this purpose but they could not begin the work because the state government has not handed over the land to them. The former state horticulture minister Mr Sailen Sarkar, now the minister for environment and state parliamentary affairs, acknowledged the director's point and assured that the state government would settle a lease deed for 99 years soon for the land hand over. The project was conceived in 1995 but due to several reasons it has not materialized yet.

Addressing the workshop, Mr Sarkar blamed central officials for unnecessarily delaying the project and claimed that during the tenure of NDA government the then agriculture minister did not want to set the project here.

“I tried hard to change that decision and met the present Union agriculture minister Mr Sharad Pawar to revive the project. Finally, the ICAR, Indian Council for Agriculture Research, has agreed to set up the Regional Institute for Subtropical Horticulture (RISH) in Malda,” he said.

A 68-acre plot of land was earmarked for setting up the RISH, close to the proposed site of the University of Gour Banga in English Bazaar town. A group of scientists from CISH and other district officials including public representatives and Prof. Anand Patwardhan, former executive director of Technology Information Forecast and Assessment Council (TIFAC), today visited the proposed sites of RISH and the University of Gour Banga and Food Park, which has not seen any progress after the foundation stone ceremony in 2006.

Mr Patwardhan said it is important to set up the RISH in Malda to help development of quality fruit production and processing since the district is famous for its mangoes and other fruits.

The Malda district magistrate, Mr Sridhar Ghosh, the English Bazaar MLA Mr Krishnendu Choudhury, Old Malda MLA Mr Subhendu Choudhury, local horticulture officials, reputed mango growers, semi and medium entrepreneurs had interacted with the scientists seeking advice and technology for development of infrastructure here including harvest management of fruits.